Brussels, 24/03/2015 (Agence Europe) - The European Commission plans to publish the results this autumn of a study on the possible options for mechanisms for the common purchase of gas. The options are planned in the strategic framework for Energy Union, which the Commission unveiled on 25 February.
European Commission Vice-President for Energy Union Maros Sefcovic told the European Parliament's energy committee on Monday 23 March that this study will look at how to develop options that are in line with WTO and EU competition rules.
The Commission is assessing how these options could be used to enable the EU to negotiate better with its third-party suppliers of gas should there be a crisis in supply, and how to confront such a challenge better. In its strategic framework, it proposes assessing the options to be used for voluntary demand aggregation mechanisms should there be a crisis in supply. The mechanisms could be used by the six member states in Eastern Europe that are 100% dependent on imports of Russian gas.
The European Council approved this strategic framework on 19 March and kept the option on the table for joint purchases of gas. In their conclusions, the 28 EU member states advocate “assessing options for voluntary demand aggregation mechanisms in full compliance with WTO and EU competition rules”.
The European gas industry is nevertheless reluctant about such a mechanism, which could encourage the supplier countries to form a cartel. (Emmanuel Hagry)