KYIV. UkraineGate . 9. September . 2022 | Ukraine News.
The energy ministers of the EU countries said on Friday that the European Commission should submit urgent proposals regarding measures in the energy sector, including regarding the limitation of gas prices .
It notes that a group of European energy ministers is also pushing for price caps on all imported gas, not just Russian gas, as the bloc becomes increasingly desperate to prevent price spikes from hitting the economy.
The idea of a broader application of the gas price ceiling emerged during the negotiations after several member states made it clear that they did not want to support the idea of capping the price of only Russian gas. Moscow said it would cut off supplies to anyone who signed up to the price cap. “Ultimately, the ministers agreed that additional work needs to be done before any such measure can be introduced,” the newspaper reported.
“Fifteen countries clearly spoke in favor of a general price ceiling for the import of any gas, not just one operator or one country. Three preferred that the price ceiling be only for Russian gas,” Italian Minister of Environmental Transition Roberto told reporters Chingolani.
The Prime Minister of Belgium, Alexander de Croo, is one of the supporters of this idea. The cap should be temporary and dynamic, offering a premium to Asian prices, which are currently only half of what European buyers pay, he said in an interview on Thursday. He added that this will give time to think about how to restructure the electricity pricing mechanism in the future.
Addition
The meeting on Friday is only the first step, the newspaper notes. And that after the ministers ask the European Commission to propose a detailed regulation, then the governments have to approve it.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen delivers her annual address to the European Parliament on September 14.
Source: Ukrgate
