Greece’s checkmate move for the natural gas cap: All the background and the “bra de fer” with the Commission

With Athens taking the lead, in an emergency meeting held early Thursday morning, before the Energy Ministers’ Summit, the bloc of “15” crowded the Commission. The bloc of the coalition of 15 countries on the ceiling travesty proposed by the Commission caused surprise in Brussels, and the irritation of the Dutch.

In an emergency meeting that took place early in the morning before the Energy Ministers’ Summit, the bloc of “15” in which Spain, in addition to Italy, surprisingly joined, squeezed the Commission, Germany and its satellites, with one move – checkmate and the “all or nothing” logic.

The statement of the Minister of Energy Kostas Skrekas for the Commission’s proposal, it was indicative: “the ceiling at 275 euros (per megawatt hour) is essentially not a ceiling”. Athens insists on a ceiling between 150 and 200 euros.

On Greece’s side are Belgium, Italy, Poland, Croatia, Slovakia, Romania, Bulgaria, Lithuania. They decide that they will block the Commission’s proposal for the travesty ceiling. Madrid also joins the coalition with harsh characterizations of the responsible minister for the Commission’s proposal. (“We think this is a bad joke”).

In this context, in a surprising move, the “15” they decided to block not only the proposal on the gas cap, but also the other two regulations that were on the table and were considered certain to be agreed (solidarity mechanism – joint natural gas supplies and the RES regulation that Germany desperately wants) announcing that either they will be agreed all together or nothing will be agreed upon.

However, despite the optimism for an agreement at the new extraordinary session on December 13 by the Czech presidency, the Commission, although surprised, does not seem willing to put water in its wine by lowering the threshold of the proposed ceiling. “The ceiling and the duration of the intervention mechanism have been set with great care to limit the risks” argued the Energy Commissioner Country Simpson.

For its part, the Dutch side strongly expressed its displeasure because nothing was voted on. So the decisions are referred to a new extraordinary Synod on December 13, but everything is “up in the air” because consensus between the “two camps” is difficult. However, the important thing is that Athens is at the front of the majority and thus is able to push in the direction it wants.

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