© Reuters. Flames from a gasoline burner are mirrored on a cooker in a non-public house in Unhealthy Honnef close to Bonn, Germany, October 11, 2021. REUTERS/Wolfgang Rattay
2/3
By Kate Abnett
BRUSSELS (Reuters) -EU leaders on Thursday struggled to agree a typical response to hovering power costs, which have uncovered acquainted rifts over the bloc’s local weather change targets and divided international locations on whether or not the value crunch warrants an overhaul of EU power market guidelines.
The European Fee final week revealed a “toolbox” outlining the nationwide measures governments can take and stated Brussels would look into longer-term choices to handle worth shocks.
EU leaders debated these choices on Thursday, however remained cut up over how the bloc ought to deal with hovering power costs, as their residents face increased payments with winter approaching.
Most EU international locations have already drawn up emergency motion plans to protect customers, together with power tax cuts and subsidies for poorer households.
A draft of their summit conclusions, seen by Reuters, invitations international locations to urgently use the toolbox “to supply short-term aid to probably the most susceptible customers and to assist European firms”.
Longer-term measures, nevertheless, are extra contentious.
In what EU diplomats stated was a response to a push from the Czech Republic, the summit conclusions have been up to date late on Thursday to ask the European Fee “to check the functioning of the gasoline and electrical energy markets, in addition to the EU ETS market, with the assistance of the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA).”
The Fee ought to then assess “whether or not sure buying and selling behaviours require additional regulatory motion,” the draft conclusions stated.
Poland, the Czech Republic and Spain have beforehand requested the EU to restrict monetary speculators’ participation within the carbon market, which they are saying stated has helped push CO2 costs to report highs. Poland can also be desires Brussels to research whether or not the behaviour of Russia’s Gazprom (MCX:) has pushed up European gasoline costs.
The Fee has already agreed to check each points, however not dedicated to take rapid motion.
FAMILIAR TENSIONS
European gasoline costs have hit report highs as tight provide has collided with economies rising from the COVID-19 pandemic, amid surging CO2 costs and lower-than-expected gasoline deliveries from Russia.
Spain, Italy and Greece are additionally pushing for an EU response to the value spike, together with by launching joint gasoline shopping for amongst EU international locations to type strategic reserves.
Others, together with Germany and the Netherlands, are cautious of overhauling EU rules in response to a short-term disaster. The Fee stated gasoline costs have been anticipated to stabilise at a decrease stage by April.
The talk over how you can response to the power worth spke shall be picked up at an emergency assembly of EU power ministers on Oct. 26.
A preparatory notice forward of that assembly, seen by Reuters, stated ministers would debate “what additional measures at EU and Member State stage, together with using EU monetary instruments, may very well be envisaged”.
The worth spike has additionally stoked acquainted tensions over the EU’s insurance policies to combat local weather change, with Poland calling for Brussels to alter or delay some deliberate inexperienced measures.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban on Thursday dismissed EU local weather coverage plans as a “utopian fantasy”. That view is at odds with different international locations that say excessive gasoline costs ought to pace up Europe’s shift to renewable power to cut back international locations’ publicity to risky fossil gas costs.
