EU agreement on gas savings plan: An amazing achievement

Even if these are only voluntary savings targets that the EU countries have decided – one thing is clear: it is a signal of unity. In an emergency, one can hope that Europe will then act quickly.

That was more than you could expect. It was not even a week ago that Commission President Ursula von der Leyen presented her proposal for saving gas.

The agreement now, so to speak in an express procedure, is an amazing achievement by Brussels standards and a signal of unity. In the end, only Hungary voted against the compromise, which certainly came about under the impression of the further Russian gas reduction announced yesterday.

Common approach

Everyone is afraid of winter, and if you can’t stand up to Russia together, one country alone wouldn’t be able to do it. And if you want to count on the solidarity of others in an emergency, you shouldn’t close your eyes to joint action. Especially since this is only symbolic for the time being, and each country can continue to give priority to its own concerns.

Because Commission President von der Leyen failed again this time with her attempt to interfere in national competences in energy policy. The EU countries want to decide for themselves whether to declare a gas emergency and have taken the reins of trade out of the hands of the EU Commission.

Various exemptions

Compared to the Commission’s proposal, there are now numerous derogations. Countries like Cyprus, Malta or Ireland, which are traditionally hardly dependent on Russian gas, should not be obliged to save gas as long as they are not directly connected to the gas network of another member state.

For countries with large gas reserves, the throttling targets should also be lower. And countries that need the consumption of gas as a raw material, for example to produce food or fertilizers, are also allowed to reduce the amount saved.

Savings plan hardly feasible

This list of special rights could be continued. Even if there is a comprehensible justification for each individual exception, it is foreseeable that the emergency plan that is now on the table will not succeed in saving 15 percent of gas.

But that’s not the point. Brussels simply loves numbers, even if, as in this case, they are only symbolic targets. Because nobody knows whether we will actually survive an above-average winter with the around 45 billion cubic meters of natural gas behind it if Russia stops deliveries.

And Moscow probably sees little reason to honor peacetime commitments. Against this background, this EU gas emergency plan is only the first stage. Depending on what the emergency looks like – at first you probably can’t even guess – this plan must then be adapted to the realities. Just as you have taken step one, you can have hope that Europe will then act quickly and continue to grow together with the challenges.