The Commission is continuing to support EU countries in addressing the impact of the energy crisis resulting from the conflict in the Middle East. Today, it has published a catalogue of national practices that can help EU countries reduce gas and oil consumption, cut costs, and deliver immediate savings for households, businesses and public authorities. These measures can help reduce costs in the short-term while also boosting the resilience of the EU energy system for the future. EU Commissioner for Energy and Housing Dan Jørgensen outlined the catalogue to EU Energy Ministers during discussions at the Informal Energy Council meeting taking place today in Nicosia (Cyprus).
This set of measures, considered national best practices, follows on from the AccelerateEU communication put forward last month by the Commission and it highlights three priority areas:
- protect consumers and industry and promote the EU’s long-term clean transition goals
- support immediate energy savings and the fast roll-out of clean and energy efficient solutions, scaling up the European manufacturing capacity
- foster investments in energy efficiency, clean energy production and demand response
The measures included in the catalogue are replicable across Europe and constitute proven policies that are already delivering tangible benefits in the EU countries that apply them.
Moreover, by accelerating progress on the implementation of the existing EU energy rules, EU countries could cut natural gas demand by 10–15 billion cubic metres per year and reduce oil use by 15–20 million tonnes of oil equivalent annually, lowering energy bills and reducing reliance on volatile fossil fuel markets. This is why its implementation is key.
Background
The web-based catalogue constitutes a living document that will be updated periodically to include additional ready-to-use measures to mitigate the effects of the conflict in the Middle East.