"Serious damage" caused by "substantial explosions – not done by an amateur". That's the assessment of the EU’s Economy Commissioner Paolo Gentiloni after gas leaks were discovered in the Nord Stream pipelines between Russia and Germany earlier this week. The former Italian prime minister tells FRANCE 24 that currently there is insufficient evidence regarding who may have been responsible, and that the priority is to strengthen the security of the Nord Stream, Baltic and other pipelines and energy infrastructure in Europe.
Commissioner Gentiloni warns against "escalating in words" by discussing possible repercussions for whoever was responsible for the pipeline damage – but adds that "if we have clear evidence of responsibility, we have to act".
With high energy prices fuelling inflation in Europe, the Commissioner predicts that Europe could enter into negative growth territory "maybe at the end of this year, or next year".
As EU energy ministers endorse measures to mitigate price rises for consumers, Gentiloni concedes that "we can be concerned about the evolution of energy prices in the coming months", but insists "we will get through this difficult winter, from an energy point of view".
Meanwhile, after Italians voted for a new government led by the far-right Brothers Of Italy party – which supports the idea of a "Europe of Nations" and looser ties with the EU – the former Italian Democratic Party leader Gentiloni says that "we have different views on Europe and the role of the common European institutions… But we will evaluate the decisions of the Italian government as we evaluate the decisions of all [EU] governments”.
Finally, after new tax cut announcements for the wealthy in the UK spurred a run on the pound sterling and market volatility, the Commissioner says he is "concerned about the financial consequences we see in the markets". He adds that "I am not here to give lessons to the British government but maybe to take lessons for us from what happened there. The lesson is that financial markets are very volatile and if you take decisions that are not well understood, this could create consequences in a very short time".
Programme produced by Isabelle Romero, Sohie Samaille and Perrine Desplats
