Decision in Brussels

Gas consumption to continue to be curbed

Gas pipeline in Upper Austria

(Bild: AFP)

The EU states are to continue to curb their gas consumption. This was agreed by the EU energy ministers in Brussels on Monday. However, the corresponding regulation, which expires at the end of March, is to be replaced by a recommendation.

This encourages EU countries to keep their gas consumption 15 percent lower than the average for the period from April 2017 to March 2022 until the end of March 2025. This value was already not mandatory under the existing regulation. It would only have been binding if the EU states had triggered a so-called Union alert. This option and reporting obligations have now been removed.

"We have come a long way since 2022 by taking coordinated measures in the EU and reacting quickly to the energy crisis caused by Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine," said Belgian Energy Minister Tinne Van der Straeten in a press release.

Gewessler: Putin not a reliable partner
Energy Minister Leonore Gewessler (Greens) attended the meeting from Austria. She reiterated in advance that Austria wanted to become independent of Russian gas. The Russian president is not a reliable partner. "Vladimir Putin will use every opportunity he has to put us under pressure, to blackmail us." The transit contract between Ukraine and the Russian company Gazprom expires at the end of the year, which could also mean an end to deliveries to Austria. According to Gewessler, good precautions have been taken.

Gas storage levies mean that we are deliberately making non-Russian natural gas more expensive. They also do not comply with the common rules that we have set ourselves in the European internal market.

Energieministerin Leonore Gewessler

On Monday, she also joined several EU states in calling on the German government to end the gas storage levy "Gas storage levies mean that we are deliberately making non-Russian natural gas more expensive. They also do not comply with the common rules that we have set ourselves in the European internal market," said the Minister.

This is a surcharge on the gas price to cover the costs of storage. It is also levied on German companies and consumers.