The 27 EU countries have agreed on gas savings for the coming months. This should prevent us from facing a cold winter without heating, in case Russia turns off the gas tap completely.
“It was not an impossible mission after all,” writes the Czech EU presidency on Twitter. The emergency plan, which was extensively discussed before, is intended to ensure that the Member States voluntarily use 15 percent less gas from the beginning of next month until the end of March next year.
They can choose the measures that the countries take to use less gas. But member states have agreed to prioritize measures that do not affect households and essential services, such as health and defence.
Member States with gas systems that are not directly connected to those of other Member States, or have electricity systems that are heavily dependent on gas, are exempt from the mandatory savings. This applies, for example, to Cyprus and Malta.
Exceptions can also be made for certain circumstances, for example when filling gas stocks or when gas is used as an industrial raw material.
If there is a threat of a gas shortage across the EU, a warning is issued. Then targets for gas savings can be made mandatory. This warning is issued in consultation with the Member States and means that the savings are no longer voluntary, but are imposed.