The EU expert from the Carnegie Foundation and former top diplomat Stefan Lehne expects the EU to procure energy jointly, but is less optimistic that there will also be a European price cap. There are controversial discussions between the EU member states as far as the market and state intervention are concerned, said Lehne on Tuesday in the “ZiB2” in an interview with Armin Wolf.
When asked whether Russian President Vladimir Putin would succeed in breaking up the common front of the EU states, Lehne said that so far the European Union had “stayed relatively well on course”. The longer the war lasts, the greater the stress for Europeans. The EU states are also divided as to whether there should be an early negotiated solution to end the war.
Growing Tensions
After the start of the Russian war of aggression once morest Ukraine, the EU had to react quickly with sanctions once morest Moscow. You can’t expect everything to be perfect. Lehne expects a long process to sharpen and cushion the sanctions, and there is no end in sight to the war.
The sixth EU sanctions package was more difficult to decide than the first. “Collateral damage” such as rising inflation and the food crisis have increased and tensions are growing in the EU countries. “We are in the troubles of the level,” said Lehne.
