EU eases gas consumption rules as energy crisis shows improvement
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The European Commission urges EU nations to continue reducing gas usage but has made the policy voluntary, showing optimism that the worst of Europe’s energy crisis has passed.
In 2022, EU countries agreed to a voluntary target to cut gas consumption by 15% during winter as part of emergency measures adopted after Russia reduced gas deliveries, leading to tight supply and record-high prices.
On Tuesday, the European Commission advised countries to maintain a 15% reduction in gas usage compared to the average consumption from 2017-2022.
Also read: US natural gas prices plummet to near-record lows amid warmest winter on record
However, it eliminated an option agreed upon in 2022 that could have enforced the 15% gas reduction during a supply crisis. EU diplomats noted that some countries consider the policy unnecessary now that the peak of Europe’s energy crisis has passed.
European countries have been consistently reducing their gas demand since Russia’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
Simone Tagliapietra, senior fellow at think-tank Bruegel said, “Gas demand reductions are, of course, not driven by the target itself, but by a mix of drivers.”
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