EC President von der Leyen urges European shift to 'reliable' gas suppliers

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Feb. 22 that Europe should look to "reliable" gas suppliers and reduce its dependence on Russian gas amid the escalation of the crisis in Ukraine.

In a press statement, von der Leyen also said Germany had been correct to halt the certification process of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline from Russia in light of the escalation.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Feb. 22 that Nord Stream 2 could not now be certified after Russian President Vladimir Putin recognized eastern Ukraine's Donetsk and Luhansk regions as breakaway states.

"On Nord Stream 2, I think the German government is absolutely right," von der Leyen said.

"Nord Stream 2 has to be assessed in light of the security of energy supply for the whole EU," she said.

"Because this crisis shows that Europe is still too dependent on Russian gas. We have to diversify our supplies and we have to go to reliable suppliers," she said.

Halting the certification process means the 55 Bcm/year pipeline -- which was completed in September -- will be unable to begin commercial operations.