EU to work on reducing energy dependence on Russia: EC president

BRUSSELS - The European Union (EU) is looking at ways to reduce its dependency on Russian gas, oil and coal, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen said Monday.

To this end, the EU will accelerate its Green Deal, a roadmap for making the EU's economy sustainable, von der Leyen said when meeting with Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi.

The EU will work on improving its energy efficiency, she said.

As to the protection of consumers from the price spike amid the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the president said in the long term the EU will also have to look into its energy market composition, especially as renewables are set to represent a bigger share in the future.