Ursula von der Leyen’s proposal was openly discussed at the EU leaders’ summit, Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala said
The leaders of the countries of the European Union discussed the decoupling the price of natural gas from electricity prices as well as the release of additional carbon emission rights, at the informal meeting held today in Prague, Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala said.
“We openly discussed the proposal of the president of the European Commission to decouple the price of natural gas from the price of electricity,” said Fiala, whose country holds the EU’s rotating presidency this semester, at a press conference.
“We also discussed her release of additional emission rights (carbon) from the market stability reserve (MSR – a mechanism for automatically adjusting the annual amount of allowances auctioned under the EU emissions trading system) in order to reduce their price, as well as other possible measures.’
Slovakian Prime Minister Eduard Heger, for his part, said the EU should start joint gas purchases after the upcoming winter heating season, as storages will then be empty.
Heger pointed out that the ceiling on the price of natural gas should be set in such a way that deliveries are not threatened.
Von der Leyen: We will need additional joint financing for the crisis
THE European Union will try to find more funding to help member states wean themselves off dependence on fossil fuels, the president of the European Commission said today Ursula von der Leyen.
“We will consider additional funding at European level so that all Member States have the same opportunity to invest in the transition”von der Leyen said at a press conference after the informal EU meeting in Prague.
Common energy market in Europe? “State support is increasing,” said Charles Michel
European Union member countries’ support for the common energy market is growing, he said the president of the European Council, Charles Michel after the end of the informal meeting of the European leaders in Prague.
“For many months now, we have been working to ensure that stocks are as complete as possible”Michel recalled. “Before the summer, we said that we need to organize the supply of energy products. We returned to this issue today and there is increased support for this idea.”he added.
Macron is optimistic after Prague: “mechanisms” have been decided to deal with the energy crisis
‘Much more optimistic’ that European leaders will manage to find a solution to the energy crisis, says French president Emmanuel Macron, with the end of the informal EU meeting in Prague. At the same time, however, he warned that the winter of 2023/24 will be even tougher than the one coming now for Europeans in terms of natural gas supplies.
Macron said that the Europe it will intensify its talks with gas suppliers and coordinate its actions with major Asian countries on gas markets, while at the same time implementing mechanisms to ensure solidarity between European countries in terms of energy product markets. The leaders of the member countries decided, he said, to implement “mechanisms” so that they all face the spike in energy prices together. The European Commission “will work and take very concrete decisions in the coming days and weeks” until the October 20-21 summit, he told reporters.
Meeting next week for MidCat pipelines
On the plan to build the MidCat natural gas pipeline linking France and Spain through the Pyrenees, Macron said he would meet next week with the prime ministers of Spain and Portugal to discuss it and reach a “realistic solution”. The French president had initially opposed this plan, which is supported by Germany as an alternative solution for gas supplies after the interruption of deliveries from Russia.
Commenting on the sabotage of the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines, Macron said the leaders of the Nordic countries told their European counterparts that it is currently impossible to indicate who is responsible for these attacks. He stressed that French infrastructure such as pipelines, cables and satellites are “vulnerable” and their security needs to be strengthened, given the current geopolitical tensions.
Draghi from Prague: “Great unity of the European partners for the Ukrainian, we are preparing a conference on reconstruction”
The Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, in his short statements from Prague, underlined that as far as the Ukrainian issue is concerned, at the informal meeting of the European leaders there was great unity, with the support of Kiev from all the three member countries of the Union. At the same time, he added that there has been substantial interest in the conference on the reconstruction of Ukraine, which is to be organized in Germany, and that many countries have expressed their strong concern about the growing Russian propaganda, which is trying to influence European citizens.
“When it comes to energy, things are moving. The European Commission will present at the European Summit on October 20, a proposal that will contain three elements: the effort to reduce prices, the introduction of an element of solidarity in the whole mechanism and the start of the process of reforming the energy market. underlined the Italian technocrat prime minister.
Asked about the need to adopt a tool that would allow the creation of a common European debt, to deal with the cost of the energy crisis, Mario Draghi replied:
“I share the proposal made by Gentiloni and Breton. I too had made a similar proposal five months ago, it is a reasonable proposal, especially after Germany’s decision. It is necessary to put all countries on the same level, both those with fiscal margin and those without it.”
Finally, responding to a question from an Italian envoy if he registered concern, on the part of some European leaders, regarding a possible “case Italy”, the former ECB governor emphasized: “no, there is no concern. Certainly, there is curiosity, as there is when such a major change of government and policy takes place, but there is no concern. I found a great respect for the choices of the Italians, as well as an interest in how the political line of the new government will develop. Something that is not easy for anyone to answer. In some matters, however, such as with regard to foreign policy choices, if one looks back at the decisions made in the past, the whole line should not change.”
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I am currently a news writer for News Bulletin247 where I mostly cover sports news. I have always been interested in writing and it is something I am very passionate about. In my spare time, I enjoy reading and spending time with my family and friends.
