The European Commission has received a mandate from EU member countries to carry out grouped gas purchases, which will be "the best instrument to bring down the price" of this energy, French President Emmanuel Macron announced on Friday. from a European summit in Brussels.
"Group purchasing, the ability to define long-term contracts together, is the best instrument for bringing down the price of our gas and therefore we have given the Commission a mandate to do so", on the model of group purchases of anti-inflammatory vaccines. -Covid, he said, as the war in Ukraine drives up energy prices.
The European Union also wants to "better disconnect the price of electricity from the price of gas" in the "coming weeks", announced Emmanuel Macron.
Regarding food shortages linked to the war in Ukraine, “the consequence is immediate, it will be further increased in 12-18 months.
Ukraine and Russia are very large producers of cereals, particularly wheat.
He also mentions a “Food and Agriculture Resilience Mission” which aims “to remove all barriers of market failures.
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“Our objective is a ceasefire throughout the territory”
The President of the Republic also announced a “humanitarian operation” to evacuate Mariupol, besieged by the Russian army.
This operation will be done “in conjunction with Turkey and Greece, to evacuate all those who want to leave Mariupol”.
"We are going to launch a humanitarian operation to evacuate all those who wish to leave Mariupol", he declared after a European summit in Brussels, specifying that he had to discuss the subject with Russian President Vladimir Putin “within 48 to 72 hours”.
Also asked about the statements of the Russian army, which said it wanted to focus on the east of the country and the "liberation" of Donbass, Emmanuel Macron demanded a "complete withdrawal" of the Russian army.
“Our goal and our obsession is a nationwide ceasefire.
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