Phil Bennion questions Germans on Russian gas deal

4.01.38pm BST (GMT +0100) Fri 1st May 2009

Phil Bennion in Berlin after questioning German opposition MPs during a meeting at the Bundestag.

Lib Dem candidate Dr Phil Bennion had the opportunity to question German opposition MPs during a meeting at the Bundestag in April. He proposed that the German bilateral deal with Russia on gas imports was not in the interests of European consumers. "Potential monopoly energy suppliers such as Russia will simply pick us off and play a divide and rule strategy if we make these bilateral deals" said Dr Bennion, who has worked on EU energy policy with UK and German MEPs during the last parliament. "We must stick together and deal with them at a European level, as well as diversifying our energy supplies and bringing forward renewables at a faster rate".

The German opposition Free Democrats, our sister party in the European Parliament, agreed completely with this view. The European Liberal Democrats are also promoting the development of a European Supergrid to allow energy to flow freely around the EU, so ending the potential for national energy companies to rip off consumers.