Almost 12 hours of discussions, to lead to what the President of the Commission, Ursula von der Leyen described as “a very good roadmap”. A series of avenues to lower the bills, but the concrete measures are referred to ministers and the Commission. The leaders did not expect more as the differences were great.
With our special correspondent in Brussels, Juliette Gheerbrant
Three objectives are cited by the 27: lowering prices, ensuring supplies, and reducing demand. The President of the European Council, Charles Michel, recalled their determination following this summit to apply the three objectives that have been set.
To contain prices, the path of the Iberian model has been chosen – capping the price of gas used to produce electricity as is the case in Spain and Portugal – except that the ministers will have to associate concrete measures with it to prevent this increases consumption, and to prevent EU subsidized electricity from being subsequently exported to neighboring non-EU countries. There is therefore nothing operational in sight and it is up to the ministers to do the work.
The same goes for a temporary cap on gas market transactions. On solidarity, the 27 agree on a mandatory mechanism in the event of gas supply disruptions. No question of having this winter Europeans who warm themselves and others not.
But at the same time on financial solidarity, it is the great vagueness. It was a question of redistributing part of the cohesion fund, or the recovery fund, to correct the differences in budgetary capacities and thus support households and businesses. But the conclusions of this night do not mention it.
This roadmap, which must now be worked on and then implemented, is a joint purchase, a big step forward
Ursula Von der Leyen at the end of the Council
The feeling that everything remains to be done
The Energy Ministers meet on Tuesday and it is up to them – and to the Commission – to define the main lines, on the subjects mentioned, but also on joint gas purchases, and the negotiation of prices with suppliers such as the Norway and the United States. These two countries are referred to as reliable partners given the geopolitical situation.
The French President, Emmanuel Macron, hopes that solutions will be operational at the end of October-beginning of November, but the discussions will still be tense and the German Chancellor has warned that a new meeting of the 27 could be necessary.
►To listen: Energy: Europe at the time of savings