50 billion cubic meters of US gas per year by 2030

At a joint news conference, Joe Biden thanked Commission Chairperson Ursula von der Leyen for her leadership, addressing him “Dear Joe.” On Friday morning, she said, the war brought the United States closer to Europe and vice versa.

The US president promised to deliver another 15 billion cubic meters of liquefied natural gas (liquid natural gas) this year, in addition to the 22 billion cubic meters it already supplies annually. By 2030, this should be an additional 50 billion cubic meters per year.

The additional US supplies are part of a broader partnership to rapidly reduce Europe’s dependence on Russian gas. “The US commitment to supply Europe with an additional 15 billion cubic meters of LNG this year is a big step in that direction, to replace the supplies we receive from Russia,” von der Leyen said.

155 billion cubic meters of gas from Russia

Von der Leyen notes that a third of Russian gas destined for Europe is replaced by American gas. “We are on the right track to diversify away from Russian gas to trusted friends and partners,” the commission chairperson said.

Europe imports about 155 billion cubic meters annually from Russia, or 40 percent of total imports. Dependency varies from country to country, but since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, all EU member states have committed to getting rid of Russian gas as quickly as possible. After all, the sale of gas and oil is the main source of income for the Kremlin. The Commission already wants to reduce dependence by two-thirds this year and has an ambition to completely separate Europe from the Russian gas tap by 2027.

the solid gas

‘meI know the judiciary Biden said that Russian gas will come at a cost to Europe, but that this is not only the right move from an ethical point of view, but will also give us a much stronger strategic base. He talks about a large-scale shift to electricity-based heating and a global shift away from fossil fuels. Biden and von der Leyen both spoke of a “green shift.”

The infrastructure to use gas can later be used for environmentally friendly alternatives, such as hydrogen. It should be noted that a large portion of the gas from America is shale gas, not exactly the greenest way to extract the gas.

New Privacy Agreement

A new agreement was also reached in principle on the transfer of personal data. “This framework underscores our shared commitment to privacy, data protection, and the rule of law,” Biden said. According to von der Leyen, the agreement will once again enable “predictable and reliable data flows” between the EU and the US and “ensure that privacy and civil liberties are protected.” Neither party has yet provided details of the agreement in principle.

The US and EU had to search for a new agreement after the European Court of Justice declared the data-sharing agreement at the time invalid in July 2020. According to the court, the so-called Privacy Shield did not provide sufficient safeguards to protect the privacy of European citizens. European judges have mainly criticized the US intelligence services’ long-range access to European personal data.

A new version of the failed chord

According to President Biden, reintroducing a solid and sustainable framework for data transmission will help strengthen economic relations with the European Union by more than $7 billion.

The European organization Business Europe speaks of a “great signal for business and the world at large”. Austrian privacy activist Max Schrems has reacted less enthusiastically. “Looks like we’re doing another privacy shield, especially in one aspect: politics above law and fundamental rights,” he wrote on Twitter. “This has already failed twice. What we hear again is a ‘mixture’ approach, but no substantive reforms from the US side. Let’s wait for the script, but my first guess is that it will fail again.”