Von der Leyen in Israel to Promote Energy Ties

The European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is in Israel to try and increase energy co-operation between Israel and the EU as the region scrambles to move away from Russian flows.

• “We are stepping up EU and Israeli energy cooperation, to help the EU break free from Russian fossil fuels.” Von der Leyen said on Twitter earlier, adding, “We are also preparing infrastructure projects that will help us along the green transition.”
• In a speech today, der Leyen pointed to two planned energy infrastructure projects designed to link Israel to Europe -- the 10 Bcm/year EastMed pipeline and the EuroAsia Interconnector electricity link.
• "For us Europeans, the stakes could not be higher. The Kremlin has used our dependency on Russian fossil fuels to blackmail us," she said.
• Israel is working with the EU and Egypt on a trilateral agreement to allow for the export of Israeli gas to Europe via Egypt's two LNG terminals.