Maroš Šefčovič made the remark at a virtual meeting with Polish senators on Thursday, Poland's PAP news agency reported.
Šefčovič, who is the European Commission’s vice-president for Inter-institutional Relations and Foresight, said: “Poland is becoming a real gas hub in Europe at a time when it is extremely needed.”
He added: “Poland will play a major role in diversifying Europe’s gas supply.”
The Slovak diplomat stressed that the EU faced “very difficult months or even years” after Russia cut off gas deliveries to Poland and Bulgaria earlier this week, the PAP news agency reported.
He said EU energy ministers would hold an emergency meeting on Monday to discuss the situation, adding that the bloc’s executive would make “a strong response.”
Russia’s gas shut-off
Russia’s Gazprom suspended gas deliveries to Poland and Bulgaria on Wednesday, after the two countries refused to pay for the resource in Russian roubles, according to news outlets.
Russian President Vladimir Putin demanded rouble payments for his country's gas last month.
The EU has warned European buyers of Russian gas that making payments in roubles would be in breach of sanctions against the Kremlin for its invasion of Ukraine.
Meanwhile, Poland’s Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki called Russia’s gas shut-off “a direct attack on Poland.”
He added that his country had enough reserves and alternative supply sources, including a "soon-to-be-launched pipeline from Norway," the Baltic Pipe, to no longer depend on Russian gas, the PAP news agency reported.
Friday is day 65 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
(pm/gs)
Source: PAP, ft.com