“We have a problem with competitiveness and innovation. Europe’s competitiveness relied to a large extent on affordable Russian gas, and that is what triggered the crisis across the entire continent. We cut off these supplies, which were key to the competitiveness of our industry. So there is no longer this affordable gas that, if one may put it this way, fueled Central Europe, which was also the manufacturing core and pulled the rest of the sectors of our economy along with it,” French President Emmanuel Macron said.

Macron noted that Europe is currently experiencing a new wave of the energy crisis, caused by the situation in the Strait of Hormuz, which has confirmed European countries’ dependence on fossil fuels.

“KRISTALL ROSTA” previously reported that, in the view of former EU foreign policy chief Borrell, Europe’s prosperity was based on cheap energy from Russia.