Sánchez and Costa will meet with Macron beforehand to try to unlock the MidCat
BRUSELAS, 20 Oct. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Heads of State and Government of the European Union will try this Thursday to bridge the differences that distance them from new measures to intervene in the energy market and lower the bill of homes and companies, for example with a temporary and flexible limit on the price of gas purchases in the European Union while a more far-reaching reform is designed or with a minimum of compulsory joint purchases to fill the national reserves.
“The measures are not enough, we need more. I agree that it is extremely urgent (to move forward),” said the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, on the eve of the European summit when asked if he shares the impression of the Spanish Government , whose vice president in charge of Ecological Transition, Teresa Ribera, has placed the latest proposals from Brussels “below expectations”.
Two weeks ago, the leaders commissioned the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, with “clear and concrete” proposals on how to intervene in the energy market to put an end to the volatility caused by Russia’s war in Ukraine and prevent prices from falling. of energy shoot up.
The head of the Community Executive has responded with a battery of ideas that range from forcing the joint purchase of at least 15% of national gas reserves to a compulsory solidarity mechanism to assist in exceptional cases countries that may face a total energy cut and does not have bilateral agreements to recover.
But the big differences focus on how to put a ceiling on the price of gas, with countries that demand a total limit regardless of its origin to those that resist for fear of losing reliable suppliers, and other elements of the proposal that augur talks ” complex” and “long” during the appointment of leaders.
The reception of the capitals also differs with respect to the new “flexible limit mechanism” proposed by Brussels to cover the immediate gap while the EU works on a new reference index for liquefied natural gas (LNG) from March next year that better reflect “market reality” than the current Dutch TTF, which now allows “excessive” pricing.
Some delegations consider that prices have stabilized significantly in recent days with all warehouses close to 100% of their capacity, which is why they question the need for an urgent mechanism that would only apply for a “very short” period. diplomatic sources, who believe that the EU can feel “safe” this winter because prices will not rise again until spring.
The will to extend the Iberian mechanism to the rest of Europe remains to be defined, a measure that the president of the European Commission has defended but that is not included among the proposals that the leaders will debate, understanding that there is no appetite from the Twenty-seven, who want to clarify elements such as the export of subsidized electricity to third countries, how it affects to encourage consumption instead of reducing it and how to compensate the difference between the market price and the limit that is established.
The energy crisis will mark the agenda of this summit but the leaders will also reserve part of their debates for foreign policy, including determined support for Ukraine, whose president, Volodimir Zelenski, will intervene again electronically during the European Council.
Leaders will echo the Vladimir Putin regime’s escalation of violence against civilian targets in Ukraine, including critical energy infrastructure, and make clear they are willing to take further coercive action in response.
The risk of attacks or sabotage to key infrastructures, in fact, is something that also worries the Twenty-seven in the European territory itself after the explosions that disabled Nord Stream 1 and 2, so they will discuss how to reinforce them.
European leaders will condemn Iran’s role in supporting Russia, after member states have already agreed on sanctions after collecting sufficient evidence of Tehran’s involvement in supplying kamikaze drones that Moscow uses against civilian targets in Ukraine.
On the table will also be the internal situation of the country, with the repression of the demonstrations after the death of the young Masha Amini in police custody after being arrested for allegedly wearing the veil incorrectly.
In addition, the leaders will discuss relations with China in a structural debate but without written conclusions, in view of the latest episodes in which Beijing has raised its tone on Taiwan and marks a more hostile profile to the West with the war in Ukraine.
“It is a complicated relationship that needs to be debated,” a senior community official pointed out about the EU’s treatment with the Asian giant, in line with other European sources who consider it “indispensable and necessary” to address relations so that the EU takes “the reins” and focus on avoiding possible dependencies.
