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The European Union’s proposal to countries to reduce gas demand by 15% will not be enough to survive the winter in the face of continued cuts in Russian gas supplies. This was stated by the Minister of the environment of Ireland, Eamon Ryan, Reuters reported.
Fifteen percent will probably not be enough, given that the Russians have announced further cuts to Nord Stream 1 gas supplies. But it’s better than nothing, and I think the signal this plan sends is also important, he said upon arrival at a meeting of EU ministers who intend to approve the EU plan.
Poland’s Climate Minister Anna Moskwa said the European Union’s latest proposal to cut gas consumption is “neutral” for her country as it does not contain binding targets.
According to her, Warsaw is against setting mandatory reduction targets for countries.
She added that Poland’s gas storage facilities were full and her country did not need to restrict gas use at this time.
German Economy Minister Robert Habeck said the European Union plan shows Russian President Vladimir Putin that they are united, even if they have compromised to find common ground.
Czech Industry and Trade Minister Jozef Sikela said the EU must act as soon as possible to respond to Russia’s planned gas cuts.
Putin will continue to play his dirty games by abusing gas supplies and using blackmail, Sikela said after arriving in Brussels.
The EU’s new draft proposal continues to require most countries to implement a mandatory 15% reduction in the event of a supply emergency.
However, countries such as Ireland and Malta, which are not connected to the EU gas networks, will be exempt from this.
There will be weaker targets for countries that export gas or whose gas storage facilities are nearly full. Some industries, such as the chemical and metal industries, may also receive exemptions.
Resistance to the plan has been led by Spain and Portugal, which have little connection to the EU gas pipeline network. Greece also said the plan would place too much of a burden on its economy and citizens.
Germany, on the other hand, is among the countries that are heavily dependent on Russian gas and strongly support the contingency plan.
Some diplomats said the proposal, in its relaxed form, is likely to be approved on Tuesday. But others warn that looser regulations in a number of countries likely won’t have enough gas left for the winter.
EU countries have so far cut their combined gas consumption by just 5%, although prices have been rising for months and Russian supplies have been shrinking.
