LAST UPDATE: 22:09
EU leaders agreed on Friday that the European Commission should be ready to make urgent assessments of measures taken by EU members, including to mitigate the effects of rising energy prices.
According to the text of the summit conclusions, the Commission will ensure that measures to reduce electricity prices do not disrupt the market for others.
It will also take into account the temporary nature of the measures and the extent to which countries are connected to the EU electricity grid.
Solz: Germany ” skeptical ” about energy market interventions
German Chancellor Olaf Soltz said after the European Union summit that there was an agreement on voluntary cooperation for a common gas market, as reported by Reuters.
Soltz noted that the Commission will consider the issue of a ceiling on energy prices, adding that there was a great deal of discussion on this issue during the session. He added that Germany is considering how to deal with high energy prices.
However, Solz said that both Germany and many other EU countries were skeptical of high energy prices.
He emphasized the need to continue to support Ukraine financially, both in terms of humanitarian aid and weapons, and said that everyone agreed that there should be an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine.
Macron: The Commission will be empowered to make common energy purchases
The European Commission will be empowered to enter into common energy markets so that the European Union can control its energy supply and deal with high prices, French President Emanuel Macron was quoted as saying by Reuters.
Macron also said in a press conference in Brussels that the disconnect between the price of electricity and the price of gas must be improved.
According to Macron, the Commission was asked to set a ceiling on energy prices in the short term.
The French president said he hoped to have more talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin “in the coming hours” about the situation in Ukraine and any plans to help people leave Mariupol.
Macron also noted that there is no reason for France to accept Russia’s demand to pay in Russian rubles for Russian gas.
Draghi: Commission to discuss options with stakeholders to ease energy crisis
The European Commission will discuss with all parties involved options to ease the energy market crisis exacerbated by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi said today, including a proposal to impose a gas price cap.
“The European Commission will discuss with stakeholders, major oil and electricity companies, distribution companies and others,” Draghi told a news conference after the EU leaders’ summit in Brussels.
The Italian prime minister added that the 27 agreed that any demand from Russia to receive payments in rubles for its gas exports would constitute a breach of contract.
The Italian prime minister also said he hoped Russia would agree to sit at a peace talks table before the complete destruction of Ukraine.
“The best way to show that you want peace is to stop the hostilities and sit down at the table. If you do not do that it means you hope to gain ground. At some point, there will certainly be a peace negotiating table, but hopefully this “It will come before the complete destruction of Ukraine,” he told a news conference in Brussels.
Draghi said he was planning talks with Russian President Putin on the ongoing crisis in Ukraine.
Special license for Spain and Portugal to manage their own electricity prices
EU leaders have given Spain and Portugal a special mandate to manage their own electricity prices, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said today.
The President of the Commission said that this was possible because these two countries have a relatively high share of renewable energy sources in their energy mix and very few connections to other parts of the EU network.
“We have agreed on a special treatment that is possible for the Iberian Peninsula so that the Iberian Peninsula can deal with this very specific situation in which it is located and manage the prices of electricity,” von der Leyen told a news conference after. the meeting of EU leaders in Brussels.
“The Commission is committed to meeting the wishes of Portugal and Spain as soon as possible, which are to ensure that the large increase in the price of gas is not transferred to that of electricity, ie to ensure that it can “set a maximum price for natural gas,” said Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa.
Spain and Portugal will have to present proposed ceilings next week.
It is recalled that the Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez left the conference room for “a technical break”, as a Spanish government source had stated, because the negotiations had “swamped”, as the source stressed.
Poland will present a plan for its removal from Russian hydrocarbons
Poland will present a plan early next week to quickly move the country away from Russian hydrocarbons, Polish Prime Minister Matthias Morawiecki told a news conference in Brussels.
He added that countries like Germany need more encouragement to move away from Russian hydrocarbons quickly.
Source: Capital
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