This should prevent households and essential facilities such as hospitals literally being left out in the cold in the coming winter if Russia cuts off the gas supply further or completely.
In addition, a mechanism will be set up to issue a warning if there is a threat of a gas shortage in the EU as a whole. Then targets for gas savings can be made mandatory. Those mandatory savings can only be enforced by the European Council, not by the Commission.
Cyprus, Malta and Ireland
The threshold for introducing such obligations is higher in the emergency plan than in a plan that the European Commission presented earlier. Various clauses have also been included that allow Member States to avoid mandatory savings. This applies, for example, to Member States Cyprus, Malta and Ireland, because their gas systems are not directly linked to those of other Member States. Exceptions can also be made for certain circumstances, for example when filling gas stocks or when gas is used as an industrial raw material.
EU energy ministers will meet on Tuesday to approve the plan. Diplomats say there are enough votes to get a majority for the plan.