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Denver – The full reality of the Maghreb-Europe Pipeline (GME) cancellation appears to have struck home in the EU’s legislative body.
After several Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) voiced their opposition to the Algerian decision earlier this week, more European political representatives joined forces to write an open letter to Josep Borrell, the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy regarding the precarious situation.
Italian MEPs Antonio Tajani and Massimiliano Salini, the lead authors of the letter, raised several questions regarding the future of European dependence on foreign energy resources given the recent actions of Algeria.
“Algeria’s unilateral decision to cut off trade relations with Rabat raises important questions about the energy dependence of the European Union, in particular in view of the increase in the prices of raw materials and, in particular, of natural gas, which has a strong impact on the electricity and gas bills of European citizens,” wrote the two politicians.
Highlighting the EU’s contribution to the now terminated Europe-Maghreb pipeline, they also questioned whether the continental bloc would take a more confrontational approach toward the Algerian regime. Inaugurated in 1996, the regional pipeline project was constructed with the assistance of $1.1 billion in funding from the European Investment Bank.
The MEPs hope this early investment will enable EU members to negotiate an extension of the GME contract with Algiers. Tajani and Salini also asked Borrell what actions he plans to take in addressing the root of the problem: The Morocco-Algeria dispute.
After Algeria’s decision to not renew the GME contract when it expired last month, several European politicians were quick to label the move as “gas blackmail” amid Moroccan diplomatic victories on the Western Sahara question.
