Led by the Czech Presidency, energy ministers in Brussels agreed on a coordinated reduction in gas consumption ahead of the coming winter

"At today's extraordinary EU Energy Council, the member states showed that they can help each other when necessary. We have agreed an agreement of solidarity and unity that will help ensure sufficient gas supplies for the coming winter across the European continent. The package is called Save Gas for a Safe Winter, and that is the essence of the agreement adopted today" says Minister of Industry and Trade Jozef Síkela, adding: "I thank everyone who participated in today's success and helped find a strong European compromise."

The aim of the package is to ensure enough gas for the entire EU before the coming winter, in view of the possible interruption of supplies from Russia. The European Commission is negotiating with Nigeria on additional supplies of natural gas and has already negotiated memoranda with Israel, Egypt, Azerbaijan or Norway. The second part of this package is guidance covering a range of measures that Member States can take to reduce gas consumption.

The proposed measures are intended to ensure sufficient gas supplies for protected customers, to coordinate the reduction of gas consumption in households, public buildings, energy and industry. It contains a list of preventive measures and addresses, among other things, the joint demand of the member states, savings through reducing consumption in the heating and cooling sectors, proposes a reduction in the temperature in public buildings to 19°C and in households a reduction by 1°C, but also addresses support for the use of alternative energy sources (coal, biomass, diesel, nuclear energy) in industry and energy.

The main part of the proposal is a Council Regulation enabling the declaration of a "Union Alert". The announcement of this level of alertness is independent of the alert levels valid under the regulation on the security of gas supply. The EU warning triggers an obligation to reduce consumption. The draft regulation sets the goal of reducing gas consumption by 15 percent between this August and the end of March 2023 compared to the average consumption during this period over the past 5 years.

The draft regulation was supported by all member states with one exception. Formal approval will take place in the form of a written procedure.