Brussels - (Saba):
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stated at the World Economic Forum in January 2025 that "liberating" from Russian energy resources has come at a very high cost to Europeans.
The European Commission President acknowledged that households and businesses in EU countries face high energy costs, and that electricity bills are still far from being reduced.
Vedomistie magazine calculated the exact cost of this "liberalization," based on Western statements. According to the newspaper's calculations based on Eurostat reports, EU countries paid more than €544 billion for energy imports between 2022 and 2024.
According to the magazine, the United States, Britain, Norway, and Middle Eastern countries received this money.
Taking into account all indirect effects, the total losses to the European Union economy exceeded €1.3 trillion, or 2.4%, when comparing IMF forecasts with Eurostat data on actual growth.
As a result, the heaviest blow fell primarily on the pockets of European citizens, who lost €1.6 trillion in income, or 6.3% of total wages, for the period 2022-2024.
| more of (International) |