The European Commission promised this Friday “unprecedented measures for an unprecedented situation” in the European Union (EU) of energy crisis, which will cover “all fronts” and will be presented next week to alleviate the prices of energy services.
“We will propose unprecedented measures next week for an unprecedented situation,” European Energy Commissioner Kadri Simson told a news conference at the end of an extraordinary meeting of European ministers in charge in Brussels.
According to the community official, “the time has come to add to the preparatory work more measures aimed at relieving pressure on prices and better using the profits generated in the market to serve citizens.”
Asked what concrete measures Brussels will propose, Kadri Simson refused to specify, but guaranteed “to work on all fronts to promote the diversification of supply, the reduction of demand and investments in renewable energies”, arguing that “there is no solution that significantly reduces energy”. prices and guarantee […] security of supply that is needed”.
After the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, mentioned without giving details some of the initiatives that will be adopted this week, the European Commissioner defended the need to “intelligently reduce electricity consumption”, specifically through an objective of reducing consumption during peak hours, as well as the creation of “instruments that ensure a fair distribution of the income currently enjoyed by some [operadores] energy sector” and a “solidarity tax on its profits”.
Kadri Simson also admitted using the state aid temporary framework “to address liquidity gaps through public guarantees”, the imposition of a price cap on Russian pipeline gas and a “supplementary price index for liquefied natural gas”. .
Representing the Czech EU presidency, Czech Industry Minister Jozef Síkela said he was “prepared to convene another extraordinary meeting” of energy ministers to “adopt concrete solutions before the end of this month”, in order to “guarantee security of supply” in the cold season.
EU Energy Ministers today held an extraordinary Council in Brussels to discuss possible emergency measures to be applied at EU level to mitigate the effects of rising prices in the energy sector.
Earlier, on Wednesday, the European Commission already put some ideas on the table, among them the imposition of a cap on the profits of low-cost electricity producers and a “solidarity contribution” from fossil fuel companies, as well as setting a price cap. on imports of gas by pipeline from Russia to the European Union for the purchase of Russian gas.
The working document prepared by the community executive as a contribution to this Energy Council also includes two other proposals: a binding objective to reduce electricity consumption and the facilitation of liquidity support by the Member States to energy service companies that are facing problems due to this market volatility.
Geopolitical tensions due to the war in Ukraine have affected the European energy market, as the EU imports 90% of the gas it consumes, with Russia responsible for around 45% of these imports, at varying levels between member states.
In Portugal, Russian gas represented, in 2021, less than 10% of the total imported.
Source: TSF
