The EP compared the damage from sanctions against Russia with the economic consequences of Brexit

Marcin Sipniewski, a member of the European Parliament (EP) from Poland, has compared the economic damage to the European Union (EU) from Western sanctions against Russia with the consequences of the UK's withdrawal from the EU - Brexit. The MP said this in an address to the European Commission (EC) on November 29.

He recalled that the Brexit adjustment reserve was created to mitigate the consequences of Britain's exit from the EU.

"The sanctions imposed on Russia and Belarus, as well as the easing of some requirements for products from Ukraine, had a similar, albeit even more severe impact on many companies and regions. Polish companies suffered particularly badly, as it meant the closure of the market, where they often held favorable positions," Lenta.Ru quoted him as saying.

In this regard, Sipniewski asks the EC about its plans to stimulate the European economy in light of the described losses.

On November 15, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said that the EU countries should reconsider the sanctions restrictions imposed against Russia, as they have caused an increase in energy prices and undermine Europe's competitiveness, RT reports.

According to him, industrialists in Europe are forced to buy Russian energy resources at such a price that they pay several times more for gas and electricity than their competitors from the US and China, 360.ru reported.

Earlier, on November 14, Capital Lab partner Evgeny Shatov shared his opinion in a conversation with Izvestia that by the end of this year the price of gas on the exchange in Europe may rise by 5-10%. On the same day, the gas price in Europe during trading exceeded $500 per 1 thousand cubic meters for the first time since November 2023, according to the London exchange ICE.

Before that, on October 10, Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller said at a plenary session of the St. Petersburg International Gas Forum that Europe's policy on the gas market could lead to a new gas price shock and supply disruptions. He called the situation on the European gas market bad and agreed with the assessment that the demand for energy resources there is being destroyed purposefully.

Also, political scientist Alexander Asafov told Izvestia on October 12 that the European Union's statements about rejecting Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) are disconnected from reality. The expert says that despite the fact that the US has LNG resources and reserves, it is still not enough to cover Europe's needs. EU countries buy liquefied gas "cleansed of Russian trace" with a triple markup due to sanctions.

Western countries decided to reduce dependence on Russian energy resources against the backdrop of Russia's special operation to protect Donbass, the start of which was announced on February 24, 2022. However, as a result, a serious energy crisis started in many European countries.