On Thursday 23 June the European Parliament approved by a very large majority (490 votes in favour, 47 against and 55 abstentions) the agreement reached with the Council of the European Union on the proposal for a regulation aimed at contributing to the EU’s energy security by guaranteeing a certain level of gas reserves before the winter.
Previously detailed in these columns (see EUROPE 12956/1), the text retained by the co-legislators obliges Member States to ensure that underground gas storage facilities on their territory are filled to at least 80% of their capacity before the winter of 2022/2023 and to 90% before the following winter periods.
The adoption of the agreement by the Parliament comes only 3 months after the presentation of the European Commission’s proposal for a regulation (see EUROPE 12917/7) through the use of a special procedure. This unusually fast pace is explained by the EU institutions’ desire to strengthen the Union’s capacity to guarantee its energy security as quickly as possible in the context of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
“This regulation is the answer to the current situation. Gazprom is using energy supply as a weapon, so we’ve got our protective shield”, said Jerzy Buzek (EPP, Poland), leader of Parliament’s negotiating team on this issue.
At EU Council level, the agreement will be endorsed without debate on Monday 27 June at a meeting of EU energy ministers. The regulation will then be published in the Official Journal of the EU and will enter into force.
Risk of a total halt to Russian deliveries
In a debate with MEPs ahead of the vote, the Commission’s executive vice-president in charge of the ‘Green Deal’, Frans Timmermans, stressed the importance of this regulation in the current situation.
“A total of 12 Member States are now affected by Russia’s unilateral supply cuts [Editor's note: Lithuania, Bulgaria, Poland, Germany, Finland, Denmark, the Netherlands, Italy, France, Austria, the Czech Republic and Slovakia]. Ten Member States have issued an early warning under the Security of Gas Supply Regulation [Editor’s note: Italy, Latvia, Croatia, Germany, Austria, Finland, Estonia, Denmark, the Netherlands and Sweden]. So the risk of full gas disruption is now more real than ever”, he said, echoing recent comments by Commissioner for Energy Kadri Simson (see EUROPE 12977/23).
He went on to say that current gas stocks exceed 50% of total capacity in the EU (the fill level is now 55%), a level higher than last year’s situation (around 45%).
Germany activates phase 2 of its emergency plan
On the same day, the German Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Change, Robert Habeck, called on Germans to start a national energy saving effort now in preparation for the winter, due to the sharp drop in Russian gas deliveries via the Nord Stream 1 pipeline.
“Gas is now a scarce commodity in Germany”, he said. He also warned of higher prices ahead, while calling the reduction in Russian gas supplies an “economic attack” on Germany.
The German government has also decided to launch phase 2 of its three-stage emergency plan, after recently announcing an increased use of coal. The third phase involves rationing, an option that cannot be ruled out, according to Mr Habeck.
For her part, French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne said she was aiming for the country’s gas reserves to be filled to 100% of capacity by 1 November. In addition, she announced the launch of discussions with stakeholders with a view to introducing energy efficiency measures in the autumn.
See the text of the European Parliament/EU Council agreement: https://aeur.eu/f/29m (Original version in French by Damien Genicot)