This week saw the European Commission’s President Ursula von der Leyen do something that would have probably been considered the opposite of democracy just a few years ago. She proposed that governments impose a ceiling on certain energy producers’ revenues and add a windfall profit for Big Oil majors. Called …
Read More »EU Aims to Lessen Dependency on China with Raw Materials Act
Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced a new legislative proposal, the Critical Raw Material Act, to tackle the evolving dependency on China when it comes to raw materials and ensure more resilient supply chains. The proposal was announced as part of von der Leyen’s annual State of the Union …
Read More »EU to Propose Crisis Measures to Tackle Energy Price Spike
The European Union will propose measures to cap revenues from low-cost electricity generators and force fossil fuel firms to share the profits they make from soaring energy prices, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Wednesday. European governments have ploughed hundreds of billions of euros into tax cuts, …
Read More »Europe’s Energy Crunch could Spark Flashbacks to the Eurozone Crisis
Meaningful reform in the European Union has historically taken a crisis, and this winter seems ripe for energy policy. As with the euro crisis a decade ago, though, a quick political compromise could risk leaving the job half done. The EU’s energy ministers held an emergency meeting Friday to agree …
Read More »Europe’s Central Bank Rules out Liquidity Support for Energy Firms
The European Central Bank will not give short-term financing to European energy firms struggling through the energy crisis, sky-high prices, and margin calls on the derivatives markets, ECB President Christine Lagarde said on Friday. “As far as the ECB is concerned, and the national central banks of the Eurosystem, of …
Read More »Putin Threatens to Halt all Gas to Europe if Prices are Capped
Russian President Vladimir Putin has threatened to retaliate against any move by the European Union to cap the price of Russian gas by halting flows completely and suggesting a deal allowing Ukrainian grain to be exported to world markets could be disrupted. Addressing an economic conference in the Russian Far …
Read More »The Energy Crisis is Putting Europe’s Solidarity to the Test
A post in the Financial Times this week reported on comments made by Shell’s chief executive Ben van Beurden. In the article, Ben van Beurden focused mainly on the criticality of Europe’s energy crisis. “That this is going to be somehow easy, or over, I think is a fantasy that …
Read More »Shell Chief: European Gas Shortages Likely to Last Several Winters
As a result of Russian gas supply cuts, Europe may face several winters of gas shortages, according to Shell chief executive Ben van Beurden. Van Beurden also warned that Russia’s tightening grip on gas supplies to Europe might cause high power bills and electricity rationing this winter. Russian gas supply …
Read More »Iran, US may Need Several weeks to Resolve their Differences
US and Iran remain at loggerheads over key details of an emerging deal to revive a landmark nuclear agreement and may need several weeks to resolve their differences, US media said quoting officials familiar with the talks. Expectations of an imminent breakthrough grew as Washington and Tehran responded to a …
Read More »OPEC Deepens Support for Saudi Call to Consider Action
OPEC’s united front on possible action grew stronger, as more nations endorsed Saudi Arabia’s view that supply curbs may be needed to stabilize world oil markets. Within 48 hours of comments from Saudi Arabian Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman that OPEC might have to curtail production, fellow members Iraq, …
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