BRUSSELS: The European Commission will tell EU member states to continue to reduce their gas consumption next winter after meeting a previous energy-saving target, a senior EU official said on Thursday.
Faced with sky-high energy bills after Russia invaded Ukraine last year, the 27-member bloc agreed in July to cut gas usage between August 2022 and March 2023 by 15 percent compared to the average of the previous five years.
The drop in usage actually exceeded the “voluntary” target because of warmer-than-expected weather and high costs that pushed consumers to use less energy.
EU statistics agency Eurostat said gas consumption in the EU fell by 19.3 percent between August and January, compared to the same period between 2017 and 2022, but now Brussels wants to do more.
“We should be under no illusion that things are getting easy,” the EU’s energy commissioner, Kadri Simson, told the European Parliament.
Member states should again reduce demand by 15 percent, she said.
Any proposal must be approved by 27 member states.
“This has worked well and it’s the best guarantee to achieve an adequate level of storage by November,” Simson added.
She also called on some member states to stop buying Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG), even if it is not subject to sanctions.
“I think that we can and should get rid of Russian gas completely as soon as possible,” she said, urging companies and countries not to renew expired Russian contracts.
EU tells members to cut gas use further
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EU tells members to cut gas use further
- The 27-member bloc agreed in July to cut gas usage between August 2022 and March 2023 by 15 percent
- Eurostat said gas consumption in the EU fell by 19.3 percent between August and January
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“On Greenland, allow me to be clear: Greenland belongs to its people. Nothing can be decided about Denmark and about Greenland without Denmark, or without Greenland,” Costa said in a speech marking the assumption by Cyprus of the rotating presidency of the EU.
“They have the full support and solidarity of the European Union,” he said.
US President Donald Trump has repeated in recent days that he wants to gain control of Greenland, as he argues the island is key for US military strategy and claims Denmark has not done enough to protect it.
Costa said Cyprus was taking the helm of the EU Council at a time when the international rules-based order was under attack, and urged EU member states to stand up against these developments.
“The European Union cannot accept violations of international law — whether in Cyprus, Latin America, Greenland, Ukraine or Gaza,” Costa said.
“Europe will remain a firm and unwavering champion of international law and multilateralism.”
