The European Commission wants to resume coordinated gas purchases across the EU amid concerns about supplies due to the war with Iran, Politico reports, citing planned statements, writes UNN.
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This, as stated, is one of a number of new measures being considered by the EU executive body to help countries protect themselves from rising prices, as national capitals begin to get nervous about the prospect of an energy crisis. At the same time, it risks a backlash from industry, which has long questioned the effectiveness of coordinated fuel purchases.
EU allows fuel rationing due to energy shock03.04.26, 11:36
The EU first introduced so-called demand aggregation in 2023, encouraging EU buyers to team up on the common AggregateEU platform to pool gas demand and match it with overseas supplies, allowing them to conclude both bilateral and joint agreements. The idea was to increase companies' bargaining power and prevent competition between them, obtain lower prices, and maintain a single market.
While the AggregateEU platform has since been incorporated into a broader toolkit, the European Commission aims to expand these tools to "facilitate coordinated EU engagement with oil and gas suppliers and partner countries with similar energy import profiles," according to written comments to be released later. The European Commission stated that it would do so by "fully mobilizing" platforms that have replaced AggregateEU, including platforms for coordinating the purchase of hydrogen and raw materials.
This means that the new platform will also strengthen the coordination of oil purchases amid growing concerns about aviation fuel supplies.
The European Commission also "aims to intensify international cooperation to increase supplies from neighboring countries and through the EU's network of trade agreements," it added.
The goal is to "have bargaining power over Asia," said a person familiar with the European Commission's position.
However, the resumption of coordinated procurement could be controversial. The initial version of AggregateEU faced widespread criticism: opponents called for greater data transparency and questioned the European Commission's claims of widespread adoption of the system. Others argued that EU intervention could undermine fragile supply chains and that bilateral agreements between established market participants are more effective.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said earlier this month that the platform had helped aggregate 90 billion cubic meters of gas purchases and meet EU demand for 77 billion cubic meters since 2023, but it remains unclear whether these figures reflect actual purchases.
Von der Leyen herself admitted that the platform needs refinement. "We are not starting from scratch in this coordination in the energy sector, but we can do more and better," she said.
Nevertheless, the desire to revive the platform reflects growing calls for the EU to present a more united front in tackling the bloc's growing energy challenges, the publication writes.
Following the closure of the Strait of Hormuz earlier this year, which led to a reduction of approximately one-fifth of global gas supplies and a short-term doubling of the price of benchmark EU gas (TTF), EU governments have already actively coordinated their actions, using EU forums to exchange data and information. The EU also urged them to reduce gas storage targets to 80 percent of internal capacity to prevent panic buying.
But even though this helped stabilize gas prices in the following weeks, some countries still seek to avoid uncoordinated actions that create imbalances in the single market, while using the financial capabilities of richer neighbors to secure better prices in international markets, the publication points out.
It is unclear to what extent companies used these platforms during the war with Iran. At a meeting of energy ministers last month, several countries called on the European Commission for greater coordination, according to the minutes. This need was recognized by the EU itself, as the minutes show, the publication writes.
EU fears panic gas purchases due to depleted reserves and war in Iran18.03.26, 15:35