07/12/2023 (Agence Europe) – The EU’s energy platform has completed its fourth call for tenders, launched on 4 December (see EUROPE 13307/31), attracting bids from 13 suppliers for 9.13 billion m³ of gas, against European demand of 10.06 billion m³, according to figures announced by the European Commission on Thursday 7 December. The AggregateEU mechanism combined these offers to meet demand of 7.35 billion m³. The participants will now negotiate for deliveries between January 2024 and March 2025. This marks the end of four demand aggregation and tendering cycles in 2023, totalling 42.13 billion m³ of gas. The platform, launched in April 2023, has strengthened the EU’s ability to secure reliable gas supplies. In response to the energy crisis, the Commission is proposing to extend the legal basis for this mechanism by one year. (NP)