He acknowledges that “it will be a very complicated winter in the countries most exposed to Russia” and assumes that “we are not immune”
Teresa Ribera (Madrid, 1969), Third Vice President and Minister for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge, a strong defender of extraordinary taxes on energy companies in the face of the so-called ‘benefits from heaven’, sends several sharp messages to the payers of those taxes, and slips some of the following moves in government aid policies and against inflation.
-We are the regasifier of Europe. What role should Spain play in this energy crisis?
– We have a very peculiar situation which, out of necessity, has led us to have a disparity in suppliers and to invest more in infrastructure than the others. That gives us a strength that no one in the EU has. But there is also a mismatch between the capacity that has been built up and the difficulty of serving our partners. Europe desperately needs solidarity. Spain plays a key role in gas, renewable energy sources, which allow us to export electricity, or in hydrogen.
-You’ve recognized yourself “frustrated” by an electricity bill that “doesn’t reflect” the government’s austerity measures. Are you considering forcing it to be detailed?
-The consumer associations are annoyed by the way the marketers display the invoices. We want to improve that. The sector has wanted to convey that it will cost you more because of the measures taken by the government, without explaining that you will save all this in taxes and fixed costs and this other because of the Iberian mechanism. Without our measurements, the price would have been 20% more expensive. It’s normal for people to be upset when they get more expensive bills, but gas has multiplied by ten and our bill has gone up, but not by ten.
–Is releasing the effect of gas on the price of electricity in Europe a chimera?
– Well, it took us a year to think about it. Since June 2021, we have been saying that if we had a problem with the price of gas, it was politically absurd to allow the price of electricity to contaminate. It took a year for Europe to respond. Now an interesting substantive debate opens up.
-The French president confirms that “the era of plenty” is over and that “complicated times” are coming…
-It will be a very complicated winter in the countries most exposed to Russia. That is why it is important to activate solidarity measures. We, no matter how good we are, are not immune. The fact that Finland or Germany are doing badly ultimately affects us. Here there is no problem of rationing or austerity. We’re not interested in a cold winter, but… It’s a serious pricing problem that affects families and businesses.
You have to understand what we are talking about and not be frivolous. The aim is for the condition to be as limited and equitable as possible. Without government action, there are those who win extraordinarily and those who lose equally.
– That’s why the extraordinary taxes on energy and banking…
– If we are talking about putting sanitary barriers between the price of electricity and that of gas, even at the cost of a significant reduction in the extraordinary profits that electricity companies that do not use gas would have had, then we’re talking about narrowing that gap between big payers and big payers. You can’t look away.
– Will the 20 cent or gas VAT reduction be extended beyond December 31?
-The commitment is to maintain where it is most needed. It is more than likely that we will have to extend the fiscal measures on the electricity or gas bill. But everything in due time. We are very happy with the discounts on public transport and passes. In support of fuels, professionals or people living in remote areas should be taken into account.
–So the universal 20 cents will disappear?
We must learn to focus on the most needy. We did what was most feasible to cover all of society. At that time, any leak would have made it very difficult. We would not have arrived on time.
– Is there anyone who is ‘queuing up’ with this crisis?
– The feeling is spreading that the price of gas is far above the actual cost of production. Now whether that difference is taken by the producers or the middlemen is something to clarify. Just like in the previous crisis, we discovered that there was little transparency in the financial system as a whole, we are now discovering something similar in energy.
We do not know the sales price at origin, the intermediate margin and the final price. Europe has a significant share of the LNG market and can use its purchasing power more intelligently. We are in favor of sending messages to the market about the price at which we are willing to buy. Think the big places of intermediaries, in the Netherlands, New York, London, are financial. It’s not the gas producer.
– Pure speculation?
Everything indicates that a significant part of the price increase is purely financial gain. Pure speculation against a demand from ailing countries with purchasing power. That is intolerable.
Teresa Ribera is unequivocally indicting Vladimir Putin just hours after the Russian leader ordered the mobilization of his reservists.
“It is infinitely cruel, first with Ukraine and now with its own people. The added problem is that it turns out to be unpredictable and doesn’t meet rational criteria because it’s very cruel,” he says.
“Even with veiled threats from the use of nuclear energy… There is no need to be intimidated. The international community must remain united. The Russians strive to live in peace and not with a satrap who takes them to the graveyard,” he says.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
