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Denver – Several Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) are voicing their opposition to Algeria’s decision to officially cut gas flow through the Maghreb-Europe pipeline.
Hungarian MEP Attila Ara-Kovacs stated that Algeria’s decision was “a source of concern in a context of sharp rise in energy prices.” Kovacs also emphasized that European energy resources must be “safe and secure” for the upcoming winter season.
European officials have warned of rising gas prices throughout the continent as winter approaches. Russia, typically the biggest gas supplier to the EU, has also suffered a gas supply shortage, leading to a lack of gas resources on the continent.
Echoing MEP Ara-Kovacs’s comments, many European politicians are taking the view that Algeria’s decision to sever gas links with Morocco could also impact the EU with smaller quantities of gas and rapidly inflating prices.
Many have accused the Algerian regime of intentionally manipulating the price of gas for political gain during a time of regional scarcity.
Labeling Algeria’s decision as “irresponsible,” Bulgarian MEP Ilhan Kyuchyuk stated in a tweet that the move was purely “for political purposes.”
With Russia and Algeria being respectively the number 1 and 3 suppliers of energy to Europe, politicians this year have accused both nations of holding their energy resources hostage to gain political leverage.
For Algiers, the situation is also an opportunity to further its unilateral political attack on its western neighbor.
While Morocco has already begun to explore alternatives to the Algerian gas, Algiers’ latest move will now force many European countries to pay premium fuel costs to ensure energy security for their citizens in the months to come.
