16/01/2023 (Agence Europe) – The Vice-President of the European Commission, Maroš Šefčovič, chaired the first official meeting of the Steering Board of the EU Energy Platform on Monday 16 January. This body, composed of high-level representatives of Member States, aims to facilitate the coordination of demand aggregation and joint gas purchasing. According to the Commission, the meeting provided an opportunity to “discuss the process of creating a consortium or consortia open to gas companies and gas consumers, with a view to jointly negotiating with international gas suppliers”. On 25 January, the Vice-President will invite representatives of gas-intensive industries (ceramics, chemicals, fertilisers, etc.) to discuss their potential participation in the platform before the next board meeting in February. “The objective is to publish the aggregate demand to attract supply offers in early spring, followed by the first joint purchasing well before summer”, Mr Šefčovič said. (DG)