Energy ministers reach deal on EU-wide gas reduction plan
Energy ministers from EU countries have reached a deal on an unprecedented energy plan that will introduce a voluntary 15% reduction in gas consumption across the bloc from now until next spring.
The draft plan was unveiled last week by the European Commission in response to Russia's continued manipulation of gas supplies, which is raising fears of a winter shortage.
The Czech Republic, which holds the rotating EU Council's presidency, announced the breakthrough on Tuesday, at exactly 12:00 PM CET.
"This was not a Mission Impossible!," the presidency's Twitter account wrote.
Ahead of the meeting, Jozef Síkela, the Czech minister for trade and energy, had warned that "winter is coming" and urged his colleagues to strive for a deal.
"We don't know how cold it will be but what we know for sure is [Vladimir] Putin will continue to play his dirty games in misusing and blackmailing through gas supplies and this is something we have to prepare our households and economies for and we have to protect them," Síkela added.
In its original text, the Commission proposed that all 27 member states should cut down their gas consumption by 15% from August until March 2023. The first phase will be voluntary, based on coordination, fuel switching, temperature limits and information campaigns.
Businesses, public buildings and private households will all be asked to contribute to the collective undertaking, which could help save up to 45 billion cubic metres (bcm) of gas.
But in the event of a drastic or complete reduction in Russian gas, the 15% target will become mandatory under an innovative "Union Alert" system.
This will open the door for rationing across the bloc, forcing hand-picked energy-intensive factories to shut down for a certain period
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