The EU agreed to continue the policy of reducing gas consumption
Kyiv • UNN
The EU Council has reached a political agreement to recommend further coordinated reductions in gas demand among member states to prepare for potential supply disruptions in the winter.
Today, March 4, the EU Council reached a political agreement among member states on a recommendation to continue the coordinated reduction of gas demand in the European Union. This is reported by the press service of the EU Council, UNN writes.
Details
Since 2022, we have come a long way, adopting coordinated measures in the EU and responding swiftly to the energy crisis caused by Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine. The political agreement reached today shows our commitment to be prepared for any disruption in supply and to guarantee a safe winter for our citizens and industry
According to the Council, the reduction in gas demand in the EU between August 2022 and January 2023 was 19%. This amounted to 41.5 billion cubic meters.
Brussels believes that the situation with gas supplies to the EU has improved significantly since 2022, in particular due to measures to reduce gas demand based on the relevant regulation, which was adopted as an emergency instrument in 2022.
In March 2023, it was extended until the end of March 2024 to ensure continuity of supply and curb price volatility.
However, despite the overall improvement in the supply situation, according to the Commission's latest reports, the situation on global gas markets remains tense. Therefore, as the demand reduction regulation is about to expire, member states want to remain prepared for any possible disruptions in gas supply
The document emphasizes that to achieve this , the EU's collective storage facilities must remain at a sufficiently high level throughout the winter.
Today's political agreement must be formally approved by the EU Council. The adoption of the recommendation is expected to take place later in March 2024.
Recall
Ukraine will not sign a new gas transit contract with Russiabut is ready to facilitate transit through its pipelines if initiated by the European Union.
