From August 10 to next March 31, the 27 member states of the European Union have decided to reduce their natural gas consumption by 15%. The plan was agreed two weeks ago to prepare the European Union for a possible disruption of Russian supplies. , Euronews quoted by Radar.
“We must prepare for the worst”
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen warned last week that Europe should prepare for the “worst case” in terms of energy supplies and gas imports from Russia.
According to the commission, a total of 45 billion cubic meters of gas needs to be stored in the next seven months to meet the target.
Germany alone – which imports about 40% of Russian gas destined for the EU – would need to consume about 10 billion cubic meters less.
Van der Leyen tweeted in July: “_I warmly welcome the Council’s approval of the gas demand reduction and winterization regulation. This is a decisive step in confronting the threat of total gas cuts. _Thanks to today’s decision, Europe is now ready to face its energy security as a Union”.
Some countries that rely heavily on Russian gas imports, such as Hungary, have sought exemptions from the new austerity measures.
Reducing Russian gas supplies
Moscow has cut supplies significantly in recent months in what Brussels sees as retaliation after sanctions aimed at isolating the Kremlin were imposed.
However, the package of preventive measures excludes precisely natural gas, which is vital to the economy of the European bloc.
Source: Euronews/ Rador/ Translation by Cătălina Păunel
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