EU to help curb reliance on Russian fossil fuels

The European Commission will offer technical support to help 17 Member States, including Cyprus, towards phasing out their reliance on Russian fossil fuels through technical support.

Cyprus will be assisted through this offer of technical expertise to identify and implement the best policy reforms and investments in areas such as diversifying energy supplies, accelerating the transition to renewable energy and increasing energy efficiency, for more affordable, secure and sustainable energy.

The Member States will also receive technical support in mitigating price shocks in the medium term, by accelerating the EU’s green transition, whilst taking the interregional and cross-border dimensions into account.

Member States that requested and will receive this support over the coming months are Belgium, Bulgaria, Czechia, Estonia, Ireland, Greece, Spain, Croatia, Italy, Cyprus, Hungary, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Slovakia and Finland.

Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms, Elisa Ferreira, said the Technical Support Instrument “will provide targeted, tailormade and timely support to each of these Member States’ rapidly changing needs”.

On 21 March, in the aftermath of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the Commission launched a dedicated call inviting Member States to express their interest in receiving technical support.

All the requests submitted have been assessed and approved by the Commission.

The expertise is provided under the Technical Support Instrument (TSI), managed by the Commission.