The European Union's head office has proposed member states cut their gas use by 15 per cent over the coming months as the bloc braces for a possible full Russian cutoff of natural gas supplies. 9News
While the initial cuts would be voluntary, the Commission also asked for the power to impose mandatory reductions across the bloc in the event of an EU-wide emergency caused by what Commission President Ursula von der Leyen saw as a deliberate attempt by President Vladimir Putin to weaponise gas exports.READ MORE:
EU member states will discuss the measures at an emergency meeting of energy ministers next Tuesday. For them to be approved, national capitals would have to consider yielding some of their powers over energy policy to Brussels. "The partial shutoff of gas deliveries is already affecting European growth, and a full shutdown could be substantially more severe," the IMFBlog warned.
Now, von der Leyen is convinced Putin will cut off gas anyway to try to wreak economic and political havoc in Europe this winter. EU nations and the Commission have gone on a buying spree to diversify its natural gas sources away from Russia, but they are still expected to fall far short of providing businesses and homes with enough energy in the cold months.
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