Denver – Czech politician and Member of the European Parliament (MEP), Tomas Zdechovsky, voiced his displeasure on Monday, November 1, over Algeria’s decision to disrupt the flow of natural gas through the Maghreb-Europe pipeline.
“I am very concerned about Algeria’s decision to disrupt the Maghreb-Europe gas pipeline,” Zdechovsky stated on Twitter. The politician also indicated that the disruption would result in fluctuating natural gas prices throughout Europe.
Zdechovsky maintained that “This unilateral decision taken in a context of rising energy prices aims to manipulate gas prices.” The Czech politician maintained the “The EU must not give in to this blackmail,” indicating the consequences of Algeria’s decision would impact not only its western neighbor but also Europe.
Following Algeria’s decision to sever all diplomatic relations with Morocco on August 24, Algeria announced it would begin selling natural gas to Spain through the alternative pipeline, Medgaz.
As a result of Algeria’s decision to cancel gas ties with Morocco, Spanish and Algerian officials met to discuss the future of natural gas sales in the region.
The 25-year natural gas agreement was a crucial link between the three regional powers, and its severance has already been met with widespread criticism from politicians.
Despite this, Moroccan officials have dismissed the Algerian stunt as having little significance to the overall function of Morocco’s infrastructure.
Morocco’s Office of Hydrocarbons and Mines (ONHYM) and the National Office of Electricity and Potable Water (ONEE) maintained that the Algerian decision would only have an “insignificant” impact on Morocco’s electrical grid. To compensate for the loss in energy supply, both offices were already implementing alternative means to secure energy sources.
