The 15% reduction in gas consumption within the EU will come into force “early next week” to compensate for the reduction in Russian deliveries, the Czech Presidency of the EU Council announced on Friday.
It should be published on Monday and will take effect on Tuesday, a European diplomatic source said.
Agreement on this measure was reached at an extraordinary meeting of EU energy ministers on July 26. Only one country, Hungary, opposed this measure as “unjustifiable, unnecessary, inapplicable and harmful”, but unanimity was not required and the Hungarian government was unable to prevent its adoption.
“Prepare for the worst case scenario”
The agreement provides that each country will do “everything possible” to reduce, between August 2022 and March 2023, its gas consumption by at least 15% compared to the average of the last five years in the same period.
The measure was imposed by the reduction of gas deliveries by Russia, which until last year contributed around 40% of EU gas imports.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called on member states to “prepare for the worst case scenario” of a Russian gas supply disruption.
In case of “serious shortage risk”, an alert mechanism will make the 15% reduction “binding” for the Twenty-Seven, but this objective will be adapted to the realities of each State, in particular the capacities to export the quantities of gas saved to countries in need, thanks to a series of exceptions. Member States must also replenish their stocks before winter.
Source: BFM TV
