BRUSSELS, July 25 (Reuters) – European Union countries are trying to soften the bloc’s plan to require them to use less gas as Europe braces for a winter of uncertain supplies from its main gas supplier, Russia .
The European Commission proposed last week that the 27 EU member states reduce their gas consumption by 15% from August to March. The target would be voluntary, but the Commission could make it binding in the event of a gas supply emergency. Read more
Brussels has urged countries to curb gas use now to help fill storage ahead of winter and has warned that Russian gas is likely to be cut off completely. But the EU plan has faced resistance from a cross-section of governments, with some against binding cuts and others unwilling to let Brussels control their energy use.
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Diplomats from EU countries were discussing a revised proposal on Monday, before their energy ministers tried to reach a deal on Tuesday.
The proposal, seen by Reuters, would keep the voluntary target for all countries to curb gas use, but offer a number of exemptions to the binding target, meaning countries would face different targets mandatory
“Everyone has to contribute as much as possible,” a senior EU diplomat said, adding that the latest proposal should still almost cover the 45 billion cubic meter gas demand gap that operators of the Europe’s gas network have said that a Russian cut would cause this winter. .
Before invading Ukraine, Russia had supplied 40% of the EU’s gas, or roughly 155 bcm per year.
Other diplomats expressed concern that the proposal was short. EU countries have so far reduced their combined gas use by just 5%, despite months of rising prices and reduced supply from Russia.
The latest proposal would exempt binding target countries without links to EU gas networks, such as the island countries of Ireland and Malta.
States with large volumes of stored gas could face lower targets, as could states that export gas to other countries, likely including Spain, which does not depend on Russia for gas and has criticized the EU proposal. Critical sectors such as chemicals and steel could also be exempted.
The new proposal would require the support of the majority of countries to make gas brakes binding. Counties such as France, Italy, the Netherlands and Poland opposed an initial proposal to put the Commission in charge of this process.
Polish Climate Minister Anna Moskwa said the idea of Brussels imposing gas limits on countries “is totally against the idea of energy security and democracy”.
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Reporting by Kate Abnett Additional reporting by Anna Wlodarczak-Semczuk Editing by David Evans and Mark Potter
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