The German economy is in such a state of alarm about potential gas shortages this winter that the Brandenburg Gate, Berlin’s most recognisable landmark and a symbol of the country’s hard-won unity, is set to go dark.
“Does the Brandenburg Gate really have to be lit up at two in the morning? It shouldn’t just be citizens expected to save energy,” said liberal MP Lars Lindemann, as Berlin's mayor searches for a symbol of the nation's need to pull the plug on swathes of municipal energy consumption.
The German public is expected to show restraint because gas imports from Russia have slowed dramatically in the fallout from the war in Ukraine, and there are doubts whether a pipeline under repair will ever return to service.
Advised not to be lulled into complacency by a hot summer, Germans have been told to save whatever they can now so that the lights can stay on this winter if Russian President Vladimir Putin turns off the tap completely. Ben Van Beurden, the CEO of Shell, said the continent must prepare for Moscow to follow through. "I think [Europe] will be best advised to take very significant contingency plans," he told a conference. "It would be imprudent for governments to wait for the eleventh hour to prepare."
Energy-saving measures are now being considered across Europe, as the continent braces for a tough winter that will test its resolve to maintain economic pressure on Moscow.
Read More : https://www.thenationalnews.com/world/europe/2022/07/15/germany-hits-the-dimmer-as-europe-prepares-for-russia-to-cut-winter-gas/
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