Ljubljana - The EU must send an unambiguous message to citizens, businesses and markets that the situation is manageable, that there will be no collapse in winter and that energy will be provided at affordable prices, Delo says in Saturday's front-page commentary as it looks at the measures the EU is planning to stabilise the energy market.

The energy crisis that started in mid-2021 and further accelerated last autumn and with Russia's aggression against Ukraine this spring, has turned into a major threat to economies and consumers, Delo writes in Another Lesson for Europe, pointing to at least 15 years of crisis, from the 2008 financial crisis to the pandemic and now energy.

The crisis, which has become a geostrategic muscle-flexing with Vladimir Putin's decision to launch an energy war against the EU, has shown that Russia can no longer be a reliable energy supplier.

The Kremlin has set itself a goal of bringing discord to the EU and using energy as a weapon to stir up the discontent of the electorate.

It is therefore more than clear why Europe needs to get rid of its dependence on fossil fuels from abroad even more quickly.

Efforts to accelerate the use of renewables, and in parts of the EU nuclear power, is thus getting a fresh impetus.

In recent years, the EU has talked a lot about the strategic autonomy it needs to become a geopolitical player.

But the energy crisis is yet another warning of how naive and dangerous it is not to be prepared when others opt for power politics and blackmail.