the tracks of the European Commission to do without Russian gas

The French will have to reduce their gas consumption: Europe has set a target and the States will have to stick to it if they want to get through the winter. Brussels anticipates a closure of the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline. The Russian giant Gazprom announced Thursday morning that it had reopened the valves after maintenance work, but Europe still prefers to prepare for the worst. How to do without Russian gas? By diversifying sources of supply, but not only. You will also have to tighten your belt. Clearly, each state will have to reduce its consumption by 15%. How does the European Commission intend to achieve this objective?

Reports of closure of nuclear power plants

Through a series of concrete measures: heating public buildings and commercial premises to a maximum of 19 degrees, financially encouraging industries to switch to other fuels by favoring renewables, postponing the closure of nuclear power plants or even raising public awareness of energy savings. ‘energy. These are the levers proposed by the European Commission.

The objective is clear: to save 45 billion cubic meters of gas until March 2023. Measures which are initially based on the voluntary action of States, but in the event of a complete disruption of supplies, they could become legally binding. For Ursula von der Leyen, we must therefore be ready and send a signal of energy sobriety. “We must be proactive. We must prepare for a possible total disruption of Russian gas,” she said. “If we act together, we can face any crisis.”

Measures that are not unanimous

How are states reacting? For the moment, these provisions are not unanimous. Some countries, which depend little on Russian gas, are reluctant. Others, which have already reduced their consumption, such as Germany, want the efforts made to be taken into account. But the European Commission reminds us that countries must show solidarity. This is the key element of this emergency plan, because some capitals are more vulnerable than others.

If Russia completely ceased its deliveries, growth would be affected. This emergency plan will have to be approved next week at a European Council of Energy Ministers.