25 March 2024 10:10
The EU Council today formally adopted the recommendation that encourages member states to continue reducing their gas consumption until 31 March 2025, by at least 15% compared to their average gas consumption in the period from 1 April 2017 to 31 March 2022.
This recommendation will help member states to take adequate supply security measures until the transposition of the directives on energy efficiency and renewables in 2025. Both directives will bring structural demand reduction in the near future, while achieving EU’s decarbonisation goals.
The previous regulation on demand reduction measures for gas was adopted in 2022 as an urgent response to the energy crisis caused by Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine and was extended by one year in 2023. It will cease to apply on 31 March 2024. Thanks to the demand reduction measures, the EU has succeeded in phasing out approximately 65 billion cubic meters of Russian gas in 2023, primarily in households and industries.
- Council recommendation on continuing coordinated demand-reduction measures for gas
- Security of gas supply: member states agree on recommendation to continue voluntary demand reduction measures (press release, 4 March 2024)
- Member states agree to extend voluntary 15% gas demand reduction target (press release, 28 March 2023)
- Council adopts regulation on reducing gas demand by 15% this winter (press release, 5 August 2022)
- Energy prices and security of supply (background information)
- The energy leap: How EU countries weathered a Russia-induced crisis and are reshaping energy supply (feature story)
- What is a recommendation? (background information)
Source – EU Council: Visit the meeting page