The head of the EC spoke about the growth of energy bills by 300% last summer due to a reduction in supplies from Russia

The head of the European Commission (EC), Ursula von der Leyen, said that in the summer of 2022, bills in the EU countries for gas and electricity increased by 300% in the summer after Russia cut energy supplies. She noted that the EU was able to replace Russian energy supplies from other suppliers.

“Russia cut 80% of its gas supplies to Europe in 8 months, and last summer European energy prices skyrocketed, while our electricity and gas bills rose 300%,” said Ursula von der Leyen, speaking in the Canadian Parliament (quote from TASS). She added that the EU was also able to cut energy consumption by 20%.

On March 5, Ursula von der Leyen said that the EU has completely overcome dependence on Russian gas and oil. According to her, 80% of Russian gas exports were fully compensated by supplies from the United States and Norway. Eurostat reported that from August 2022 to January 2023, gas consumption in Europe fell by 19% compared to the average for the same period over the past five years.

Olesya Pavlenko