Brussels: Europe and the Arabs
In light of the continuation of the war in Ukraine and its repercussions, there is a difference between what was reported by the European media regarding the worsening energy crisis in the European Union countries, and at the same time recording records in Russian gas supplies to China.
In European countries, the energy crisis is causing anger that prompted people to take to the streets, and new calls emerged on the 24th of this month to demonstrate in the French capital, while Russian gas exports to China set records at the beginning of the new year.

And the Russian energy giant, "Gazprom", reported today, Wednesday, that it had exceeded the daily contracted level of gas supplies to China on January 1 and 3, setting a new record.
"Gazprom started the year 2023 with new historical levels of daily gas exports to China through the (Power of Siberia) gas pipeline," the company said - in a statement on social media, reported by the Russian "Tass" news agency.
“On January 1, the company reached a fundamentally new level of daily supplies provided by the 2023 contract,” the statement reads. “Gazprom exceeded this level on the first and third of this month, including by 0.45% yesterday, Tuesday.”
Bakers in France have set a date to demonstrate against the rise in energy prices on January 23, in Paris.

The French government put pressure on gas and electricity suppliers to help small businesses suffering from high prices, particularly bakers.

French Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire said after a meeting with electricity and gas suppliers that distributors "do not help bakers and small and medium-sized businesses enough".

He called on them to do more to support small businesses "better and immediately."

And the government announced that bakers affected by inflation can terminate their energy supply contract without consequences in the event that they feel an "exorbitant" increase in prices.

The Minister of Economy said that this "exceptional" measure will be applied "on a case-by-case basis" when such an increase threatens the survival of the company.

The minister added that this measure primarily targets artisans who suffer from high prices of energy and raw materials such as wheat.

For his part, Dominique Anrakt, president of the National Federation of Bakery and Pastry Businesses in France, said that the government "has provided aid" but "with the energy bill being multiplied ten or twelvefold, nothing will be enough."

He added, "We will not be able to continue if the state does not act to control these prices."

Every day, twelve million French people go to the 35,000 bakeries that bake more than six billion baguettes a year.

And UNESCO listed the French baguette in December 2022 as one of the intangible heritage of humanity.
Source: agencies