EU agrees to slash gas consumption

THE European Union yesterday agreed a plan to reduce gas consumption.

The plan, approved by energy ministers in Brussels, will see exceptions and carve-outs as some EU countries blanched at making too deep a sacrifice for Berlin and a few landlocked member states.

But Hungary was the only member state to oppose the plan, which passed on a majority vote, and the ministers’

Council of the European Union hailed the deal as a victory for EU unity.

“In an effort to increase EU security of energy supply, member states today reached a political agreement on a voluntary reduction of natural gas demand by 15 percent this winter,” the council said. “The purpose of the gas demand reduction is to make savings ahead of winter in order to prepare for possible disruptions of gas supplies from Russia that is continuously using energy supplies as a weapon.”

Germany, the EU’s economic powerhouse, is hugely dependent on Russian gas and remains at the mercy of the supply from Gazprom for the years still needed to find alternative sources.

The plan asks member states to voluntarily reduce gas use by 15 percent — based on a five-year average for the months in question — starting next month and over the subsequent winter through March.

Czech industry minister Jozef Sikela, whose country holds the rotating EU presidency, said the plan would deliver a strong answer to state-run Gazprom’s plan to cut gas deliveries to Europe.

Gazprom has said it is cutting daily gas deliveries to about 20 percent of capacity from today.