ENERGY INDEPENDENCE NEEDED –
NOW! By Paweł Wojciechowski*
C
ontrary to predictions, at the Versailles summit in March Polish PM Mateusz Morawiecki did not urge European Union leaders to block oil and gas imports from Russia. But it is also hard to imagine such a reckless charge from a Prime Minister who constantly torpedoes climate policy. Now that the tables have been overturned and the EU
POLAND’S SECURITY DEPENDS ON ACCELERATING THE DEVELOPMENT OF A ZERO-EMISSIONS ECONOMY BASED ON MILLIONS OF INDEPENDENT RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES
has decided to use climate-policy weapons to cut itself off from Vladimir Putin’s fossil fuels, it’s time for the Polish PM to admit that the energy security strategy has to take the green route, that Polish security depends on renewable sources of energy. The previous energy security paradigm was based on interdependence. This was supposed to prevent not only using gas as a weapon but also escalating of conflicts. However, it turns out that it was only part of a bigger plan in Putin’s cynical game. As a result, oil and gas keep flowing while the aggressor is killing people. No one is turning off the tap: neither Russia, whose 40 percent of budget revenue depends on hydrocarbon exports, nor the European Union, which fears the effects of the embargo on its economy, which is why at the recent EU summit it only decided to gradually turn down but not turn off the tap. Now, the Versailles Declaration adopted in March by the EU heads of states is more than just about shutting down interdependence. The breakthrough in this declaration is the announcement of gaining independence from fossil fuels in two ways: not only independence
* The author was Poland’s representative at OECD (2010-2014) Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs (2008-2010), Chairman of Polish Information and Foreign Investment Agency (2007) and Finance Minister (2006).
18
Spring 2022
The Warsaw Voice
