Europe: Armageddon of energy poverty – Article by Giorgos T. Georgiou – AKEL Political Bureau member
Saturday 10 September 2022, “Haravgi” newspaper
The war in Ukraine continues without an end in sight, creating new facts and realities for Europe and the world. A harsh winter is coming and understandably the poorer sections of the population are struggling to survive. They are faced with the Armageddon of increases, price hikes, soaring energy costs, the intensification of competitions and everything else that is saddling the peoples with a deep crisis, both economic and social.
However, neither the imposition of sanctions, nor the escalation of armaments and the war-mongering cries of the West, the Americans and NATO, are the answer to the serious deadlocks that Europe and the international community are heading towards. On the contrary, we are observing every day a further militarisation of Europe with mammoth arms orders and the development of more cold war. The voice of common sense and diplomacy is completely absent, with the Americans and the military industrial complex investing in confrontation.
There is now a real danger that the peoples of Europe will be in a state of energy poverty and even unable to pay their energy bills, as is already the case in the UK and other countries, with an increasing risk of social upheaval this winter.
Cyprus is not immune. Our people are living and experiencing unprecedented increases and changes in their lives, with the government ruling forces completely indifferent to the problems people ae facing.
According to the Cypriot energy expert Charalambos Ellinas, with the termination of the natural gas transmission through the Nord Stream pipeline, the developments in Europe will indeed be dramatic and long lasting, with repercussions on natural gas and electricity prices in Europe and of course on the economy, food, industry and inflation. Indeed, the G7’s decision to impose a cap on Russian oil prices, in conjunction with President Putin’s statement that Russia will cut off all cooperation with those countries that cooperate with this decision, further exacerbates the whole situation.
It is now clear that Europe is facing an inflation that is unprecedented after many decades and the possibility of a new recession is on the horizon, with people becoming increasingly impoverished. Energy prices are soaring, as are prices for essential goods and services. The sanctions that have been imposed now clearly seem to affect European citizens more than Russians themselves, while in practice it is being proved that by next year, things will be heading for a deeper recession with huge social and economic costs.
Analysts even stress the enormous risks that the ongoing confrontation with Russia poses for the establishment of a security architecture, not only in Europe, but also for the international community in general.
On the basis of these realities, leaders are sought who have the political stature to make a correct reading of the critical ongoing developments.
The security, stability and prosperity of the peoples are all at stake. The solution is not the perpetuation of confrontation and military conflicts.
Now, not tomorrow, a new framework needs to be put forward to bring things back to conditions of peace and coexistence, as well as the need for the respect of International Law and the Constitutional Charter of the United Nations.
Initiatives are needed from all international diplomacy to foster a culture of peace, cooperation and reciprocity between countries and peoples. In these conditions, if anything the principal task must be the intensification of the struggles of the peoples against war, in favour of peace and security. In Europe we will either all be saved together or we will all perish. Now is the time of the peoples and movements, the workers’ and peace movements. As “extraordinary” as the conditions are for the peoples, it is even more “urgent” to repulse and reverse every scenario that undermines and strangles the people’s lives, bringing their contemporary needs to the fore.
