MOSCOW, December 30 (Sputnik), Svetlana Alexandrova — The European Union needs to search for external energy suppliers, increase the use of renewables, and aim for energy efficiency, the spokesperson for Latvia's EU presidency told Sputnik news agency on Tuesday.
“The EU needs solid Energy diplomacy with the external suppliers, increased use of renewables, and the implementation of energy efficiency measures,” Janis Berzins, the spokesperson for Permanent Representation of Latvia to the European Union, said commenting on the agency’s question regarding the measures Latvia plans to introduce to minimize the bloc’s dependency on Russia to meet its energy needs.
Latvia is to take over the EU presidency from Italy on January 1, 2015.
The European Union imports about a third of its gas from Russia and half of that flows through a pipeline over the Ukrainian territory.
Janis Berzins emphasized that one of the main priorities of Latvia's EU presidency is to establish a common EU energy union. “The need for the EU to establish an Energy Union has been evident for many years, and the EU must make this vision a reality,” he said adding that “the European Union needs to have an energy policy built on solidarity, trust and security.”
The European Union would “benefit from a better integrated energy infrastructure grid and improved governance, in particular, better exploiting regional governance across the European Union,” Berzins concluded.
Every six months an EU member state assumes the role of the rotating EU council presidency. The presidency's function is to chair meetings of the Council, determine the Council's agenda, and promote dialogue within the Council and with other EU institutions.
