EU Energy Ministers seek common ground on possible gas cuts
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Russian gas giant Gazprom’s announcement that it will further slash deliveries to Europe this week is politically motivated, European Union energy chief Kadri Simson said on Tuesday (July 26), disputing the company’s claim that it had cut supply because it needed to halt the operation of a turbine.
“We know that there is no technical reason to do so. This is a politically motivated step, and we have to be ready for that. And exactly for that reason, the pre-emptive reduction of our gas demand is a wise strategy,” Simson said on her arrival to a meeting of EU countries’ energy ministers in Brussels.
European Union countries were set to approve a weakened emergency EU proposal to curb their gas demand at the meeting, with opt-outs allowing them to follow different national paths to prepare for Russian supply cuts.
The European Commission last week proposed emergency rules requiring each country to cut its gas use by 15% from August to March. The target would be voluntary, but the Commission could make it binding in a supply emergency.
However, the plan has faced resistance from a range of governments and countries have redrafted it to include exemptions for numerous countries and industries. Energy
A European Union plan to require the bloc’s members to use less gas shows Russian President Vladimir Putin that they are united, even if they have compromised to find common ground, German Economy Minister Robert Habeck said on Tuesday.
“Of course, there are a lot of compromises in this text now. This is the way Europe operates,” Habeck told reporters in Brussels.
“It’s a very important next step. It shows that Europe stays united, that Europe is able to find unity,” he said, adding that the plan sent a signal to “Putin and to Russia: ‘you won’t split us’.”
