BRUSSELS: The European Commission will tell EU member states to continue to reduce their gas consumption next winter after meeting a previous energy-saving target, a senior EU official said on Thursday.
Faced with sky-high energy bills after Russia invaded Ukraine last year, the 27-member bloc agreed in July to cut gas usage between August 2022 and March 2023 by 15 percent compared to the average of the previous five years.
The drop in usage actually exceeded the “voluntary” target because of warmer-than-expected weather and high costs that pushed consumers to use less energy.
EU statistics agency Eurostat said gas consumption in the EU fell by 19.3 percent between August and January, compared to the same period between 2017 and 2022, but now Brussels wants to do more.
“We should be under no illusion that things are getting easy,” the EU’s energy commissioner, Kadri Simson, told the European Parliament.
Member states should again reduce demand by 15 percent, she said.
Any proposal must be approved by 27 member states.
“This has worked well and it’s the best guarantee to achieve an adequate level of storage by November,” Simson added.
She also called on some member states to stop buying Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG), even if it is not subject to sanctions.
“I think that we can and should get rid of Russian gas completely as soon as possible,” she said, urging companies and countries not to renew expired Russian contracts.
EU tells members to cut gas use further
https://arab.news/ns4zq
EU tells members to cut gas use further
- The 27-member bloc agreed in July to cut gas usage between August 2022 and March 2023 by 15 percent
- Eurostat said gas consumption in the EU fell by 19.3 percent between August and January
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Indonesia’s first woman president awarded honorary doctorate by Princess Nourah University
- Megawati was recognized for her leadership and contributions to social, legal affairs
- She has received 10 other honorary degrees from Indonesian and foreign institutions
JAKARTA: Megawati Sukarnoputri, who served as Indonesia’s fifth president and was the country’s only female head of state to date, has been awarded an honorary doctorate by Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University in Riyadh, becoming the first foreign national to receive the title.
Megawati, the eldest daughter of Indonesia’s first President Sukarno and chairwoman of the country’s largest political party, the PDIP, served as president from 2001 to 2004.
The 79-year-old was awarded an honorary doctorate in organizational and legal affairs in Riyadh on Monday during a ceremony overseen by Princess Nourah University’s acting president, Dr. Fawzia bint Sulaiman Al-Amro.
“This recognition was given in appreciation of her efforts during her presidency, her significant contributions to social, organizational, and legal fields, and her role in strengthening institutional leadership in Indonesia,” the university said in a statement.
This is Megawati’s 11th honorary doctorate. She has received similar degrees from Indonesian and foreign universities, including the Moscow State Institute of International Relations in 2003 and the Soka University of Japan in 2020.
She has also been awarded the title of honorary professor by several institutions, including by the Seoul Institute of the Arts in 2022.
“We gather at the Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, a university that stands as a symbol of women’s progress in education, knowledge and public service … To see so many intelligent women, I feel very proud,” Megawati said in her acceptance speech.
“Women’s empowerment is not a threat to any values, culture or tradition. It is actually a condition for nations that believe in their future … A great nation is one that is able to harness all of its human potential. A strong nation is one that does not allow half of its social power to be left on the sidelines of history.”
Megawati is the longest-serving political leader in Indonesia. Indonesia’s first direct presidential elections took place during her presidency, consolidating the country’s transition to democracy after the downfall of its longtime dictator Suharto in 1998.
