VideoEuropean Union energy ministers agreed to a deal that encourages members of the bloc to voluntarily reduce their natural gas consumption by 15 percent in order to manage their dependence on Russian energy.CreditCredit… Virginia Mayo/Associated Press
BRUSSELS – European Union energy ministers reached a deal on Tuesday to curb their consumption of natural gas, finding enough political common ground for a swift compromise aimed at avoiding an energy meltdown as Russia fiddles with fuel supplies of the Union
The agreement offers exemptions to nations that face particular energy problems or have been diligent in saving more gas than they needed in recent months. But it still calls on all nations to voluntarily reduce their natural gas consumption by 15 percent by spring.
Nations in the bloc will have to agree there is a wider energy supply emergency to make the measures mandatory.
The deal came less than 24 hours after Russia’s state gas monopoly Gazprom said it would further reduce the amount of natural gas it sends to Germany through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline. resume less than a week after an annual maintenance shutdown.
The compromise, while softer than the original proposal, marked an important step in managing the bloc’s dependence on Russian energy and the vulnerabilities it creates as the Kremlin seeks to punish Europe for its support for Ukraine. He also highlighted the continued ability of the European Union to forge deals and overcome divisions in the face of continued threats from President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia.
“Today, the EU has taken a decisive step to address Putin’s threat of a total gas cut,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a statement shortly after ‘reach the agreement.
Unanimity was not required to approve the proposal, but only one of the 27 member states ultimately did not support the compromise, according to diplomats involved in the process. The only country to vote against was Hungary, which has been shown to be a spoiler in the latest round of critical votes on Ukraine-related issues.
The European Commission’s original proposal last week laid out a less flexible plan to urgently cut fuel use across the bloc, suggesting the savings would keep the 27 members afloat if the Kremlin turns off the tap, ensuring no EU nation would face a crisis. . But he provided for fewer exceptions and put the same Commission in charge of calling the emergency and activating the mandatory natural gas curbs.
The European Commission’s proposals tend to be maximalist, however, and take into account the dilution process that usually occurs when EU countries, each with their own particular needs, begin to debate them.
Ms. von der Leyen said that by acting together — and taking into account the energy challenges facing individual nations — the EU has “secured the solid foundations for indispensable solidarity among member states in the face of Putin’s energy blackmail .
The reason for asking countries less dependent on Russian gas to equally share the burden of reducing consumption is that the European Union’s economy is highly integrated and a blow to one member can hurt them all.
This is especially true when one of the most vulnerable economies belongs to Germany: the bloc’s de facto leader, one of the world’s leading industrialized nations and a major buyer of Russian natural gas.
Russia has been slow to restore gas supplies through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline, which connects Russia and Germany and was offline for several days this month for maintenance.
The flow of Russian gas, which supplies 40 percent of EU consumption, was less than a third of the normal average in June. Gas storage facilities in Europe, normally almost full at this time of year in preparation for winter, are not sufficiently stocked to cope with such volatility and shortages.
The compromise plan will exempt Ireland, Cyprus and Malta, island nations with little flexibility to seek alternative energy sources, as well as Baltic states that have power grids connected to Russia’s, said an official statement summarizing the deal in describe the reasons for the exemptions. .
As several EU countries – including Poland, Greece and Spain – with more modest consumption and adequate stocks considered a uniform reduction in use unfair, the plan also explains other reasons for more modest consumption reductions. For example, countries that have exceeded their storage-filling target can compensate by reducing their storage usage.
— Matina Stevis-Gridneff and Monika Pronczuk