di Daniele Priori –
Lo stop statunitense alle nuove licenze per l’esportazione di Gnl (Gas naturale liquefatto) verso l’Europa potrebbe avere conseguenze “significativamente negative” sulla sicurezza energetica europea nei prossimi decenni, “indebolisce” gli alleati degli Usa e “mina l’ordine occidentale” in generale.
In una lettera indirizzata al presidente degli Stati Uniti d’America Joe Biden, 35 parlamentari provenienti da tutta Europa (tra cui alcuni italiani) esprimono “grande rammarico e preoccupazione” per il blocco al Gnl imposto dall’amministrazione a stelle e strisce, invitando l’inquilino della Casa Bianca a “riconsiderare” la decisione.
Una richiesta bipartisan, quella contenuta nella missiva: tra i firmatari infatti troviamo esponenti di Fratelli d’Italia (Andrea Di Giuseppe, deputato eletto nella circoscrizione estero dell’America settentrionale e centrale; Alessandro Urzì; Elisabetta Gardini), Lega (Simone Billi; Massimiliano Panizzut), Forza Italia (Andrea Orsini), Italia Viva (Naike Gruppioni), Noi Moderati (Michaela Biancofiore).
Completano la lista parlamentari provenienti da Regno Unito (ben 21), Paesi Bassi, Svezia, Romania e Spagna. La Nato, esordiscono i firmatari della lettera, “è l’alleanza politica di maggior successo della storia” poiché finora ha garantito “libertà, prosperità e sicurezza” nelle nostre nazioni, conquiste che ora sono minacciate da “dittature aggressive, Stati canaglia” e “gruppi terroristici” regionali e internazionali: di fronte a queste minacce, il “mondo libero deve restare unito” per continuare ad assicurare una stabilità che passa anche per i futuri approvvigionamenti energetici.
“L’invasione e l’occupazione russa dell’Ucraina hanno messo alla prova” tutto questo, ed “è motivo di grande orgoglio per tutti noi il fatto che Europa e Stati Uniti siano rimasti uniti contro questa nuova instabilità geopolitica”: “fondamentale”, secondo i parlamentari firmatari della lettera, è stata la capacità delle nazioni europee di ridurre drasticamente la dipendenza dalle fonti energetiche russe.
In questo processo di transizione le esportazioni di Gnl dagli Usa sono state “essenziali” ma “questa non è una strada a senso unico. Le imprese e i lavoratori statunitensi – si legge ancora – hanno tratto grandi benefici da questo aumento dei ricavi” ed è pertanto “motivo di grande rammarico e preoccupazione” il recente annuncio dell’Amministrazione Usa di “una pausa nell’approvazione dei permessi per gli impianti Gnl”.
Il mondo occidentale, mettono in guardia i firmatari della missiva, non può mantenere il passo dei suoi avversari “semplicemente restando fermo” e “sperando che la nostra cooperazione oggi sarà sufficiente per il futuro. Non lo farà. Dobbiamo pianificare in anticipo, espandere la nostra cooperazione nel settore energetico e in altri settori e prepararci per le sfide del futuro”.
“Spedizioni attuali e future di Gnl verso l’Ue e il Regno Unito – compresi nuovi impianti di Gnl per soddisfare la domanda futura – sono oggi un elemento essenziale per far fronte alle sfide per la sicurezza cui deve far fronte l’alleanza occidentale”, concludono i 35 parlamentari, invitando Biden a tornare sui suoi passi.
President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington, DC 20500
Dear Mr. President,
The NATO Alliance is the most successful political alliance in history, ensuring that freedom, prosperity and security endures in all of our nations. Those hard-won gains are under threat now from a variety of actors, including aggressive dictatorships, rogue states, and regional and international terrorist groups.
The free world must stand together, to ensure our continued security and resilience against these external threats. In today’s geopolitical environment, that security and resilience extends far beyond military strength. It includes mastering new technologies, protecting financial institutions, and ensuring security of future energy supplies.
The Russian invasion and occupation of Ukraine has tested all of these elements, and more. It is a source of great pride for us all that Europe and the United States have stood firm together in the face of this new geopolitical instability.
Fundamental to this successful resilience, was the ability of European nations to dramatically reduce reliance on Russian sources of energy, following the invasion. Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) exports from the United States were essential to this process: supply has increased by over 140% since 2021, and in 2023 alone 60 per cent of all US LNG exports were bound for European markets (European Union and the United Kingdom). The transition of European nations away from Russian gas to a dependable and secure supply of U.S. LNG represents one of the greatest advances for Western energy security in modern times.
This is not a one-way street. U.S. businesses and workers have benefited greatly from the increased revenues and investments and will continue to do so as long-term contracts and infrastructure are now being put into place, to lock in the benefits of this mutually beneficial energy cooperation for decades to come.
It is therefore a source of great regret and concern that your Administration has recently announced a pause on permit approvals for LNG facilities. This decision could have significant negative impacts on European energy security in the coming years and decades. The Western world cannot stay ahead of our adversaries simply by standing still and hoping that our cooperation today will suffice for the future. It will not. We must plan ahead, expand our cooperation in energy and other fields, and prepare ourselves for the challenges of the future.
Current and future shipments of LNG to the EU and the UK – including new LNG facilities to meet future demand – are now an essential element for meeting the security challenges faced by the Western alliance. The decision not to allow permits to proceed undermines America’s allies,
and the Western order more broadly, and will give succour to our adversaries and those who wish to divide us. We urge you to reconsider.
Sincerely,
Andrea di Giuseppe MP (Italy);
Chair, International Trade Committee, Italian Chamber of Deputies;
Simone Billi MP (Italy), Member of Foreign Affairs Committee;
Naike Gruppioni MP (Italy), Vice President, Italia-USA Foundation;
Alessandro Urzi MP (Italy), Member of the Constitutional Affairs Committee;
Massimiliano Panizzut MP (Italy), Member of Social Affairs Committee;
Andrea Orsini MP (Italy), Vice-Chair, Defence & Security Committee, NATO Parliamentary Assembly;
Joost Erdmans MP (Netherlands), Leader of JA21 Party;
Michiel Hoogeveen MEP (Netherlands), Member, Delegation for Relations with USA;
Virgil-Daniel Popescu MP (Romania), Former Minister of Energy;
Charlie Weimers MEP (Sweden), Member of EU Parliament Foreign Affairs Committee;
Sir Iain Duncan Smith MP (United Kingdom), Former Leader, Conservative Party and Cabinet Minister;
Craig Mackinlay MP (United Kingdom), Chair, Net Zero Scrutiny Group;
Jonathan Gullis MP (United Kingdom), Deputy Chair, Conservative Party and Member of Business & Trade Committee;
Sir John Redwood MP (United Kingdom), Former Cabinet Minister;
David Jones MP (United Kingdom), Former Cabinet Minister;
Nigel Mills MP (United Kingdom), Member, International Development Committee;
Karl McCartney MP (United Kingdom), Member, Transport Committee;
Greg Smith MP (United Kingdom), Member, Transport Committee;
Damien Moore MP (United Kingdom), Member, Constitutional Affairs Committee;
Adam Holloway MP (United Kingdom), Member, European Scrutiny Committee;
Andrew Lewer MP (United Kingdom), Member, Education Committee;
Jonathan Lord MP (United Kingdom), Former Board Member, Transport Committee for London;
Marco Longhi MP (United Kingdom), Member, Home Affairs Committee;
Lee Anderson MP (United Kingdom), Member, Home Affairs Committee;
Sammy Wilson MP (United Kingdom), DUP Opposition Spokesperson on Treasury and Finance;
Julian Knight MP (United Kingdom), Former Chair, Culture Media and Sport Committee;
Dame Andrea Jenkyns MP (United Kingdom), Former Minister for Education;
Senator Michaela Biancofiore (Italy), President, Civici d’Italia Political Group;
Senator Annabel Nanninga (Netherlands), Member of Committee on Petitions;
Lord Frost of Allenton (United Kingdom), Former Cabinet Minister;
Lord Moylan (United Kingdom), Former Advisor to Boris Johnson as Mayor of London;
Baroness Foster of Oxton (United Kingdom), Former Member, EU Parliament Transport Committee;
Baroness Lea of Lymm (United Kingdom), Former Economic Advisor to Arbuthnot Banking Group;
Elisabetta Gardini (Italy), EU Parliament Shadow Rapporteur, GHG Emissions Reporting Regulation;
Juan Diego Requena Ruiz (Spain), Spokesperson, Committee for Ecological Transition;
CC: Jennifer Granholm, United States Secretary of Energy, Jeffrey Zients, White House Chief of Staff;
John Podesta, Senior Advisor to the President for Clean Energy Innovation Amos Hochstein, Senior Advisor for Energy and Investment;
Ali Zaidi, White House National Climate Advisor.
