The Member States of the European Union and the Commission “will urgently work together on voluntary purchases of gas, liquefied natural gas (LNG) and hydrogen”, according to the conclusions of the Brussels summit.
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The States of the European Union decided, on Friday March 25, to give a mandate to the European Commission to make grouped gas purchases, on the model of orders for anti-Covid vaccines, while the war in Ukraine is causing prices to soar. Energy.
The Twenty-Seven and the Commission “will urgently work together on voluntary purchases of gas, liquefied natural gas (LNG) and hydrogen”by taking advantage of the economic weight of the EU to benefit from advantageous prices, according to the conclusions of the Brussels summit.
“Group purchasing, the ability to define long contracts together, is the best instrument to bring prices down”argued Emmanuel Macron during a press conference.
“The Commission can aggregate up to 75% of gas purchases”either by renegotiating existing contracts or by concluding new ones, specified the French president, whose country holds the six-monthly presidency of the EU.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has stressed that participation in the mechanism will be voluntary, unlike the pooled purchase of vaccines, which excluded orders outside the Commission. “We agreed that this is an opportunity to cooperate voluntarily for gas purchases”he observed in front of the press.
“Of course, when you look at specific cases, it can be complicated, very complicated, because there are private companies all over Europe,” engaged in contracts, “who buy gas on their behalf and intend to continue”he explained.