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Lisa Fischer discusses EU proposal for 15% gas consumption reduction this winter

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European Parliament logo. Photo via European Parliament on flickr.
European Parliament logo. Photo via European Parliament on flickr.

Lisa Fischer speaks to BBC World Service about how the war in Ukraine has impacted energy supplies to the rest of Europe.

In the UK, the price of gas is more than six times higher than it was a year ago. The effects are even more severe in countries in the EU, many of which depend heavily on Russian supplies of gas. Policymakers are struggling with the question of whether EU policymakers will be able to survive the winter if Russia decides to turn off the taps.

On Tuesday energy ministers from across the European Union agreed to implement a proposal by the Commission to reduce gas consumption by 15% this winter. At this stage it is voluntary and there is a raft of exceptions for national circumstances.

Lisa Fischer, Programme Lead of Climate Neutral Energy Systems, E3G:

“It sets out a mechanism over how Member States can trigger an alert for this to become mandatory. I think the really important piece in that is setting out the rules of the game so Member States can trust each other and know if they plough ahead with those savings, their neighbours will too. That’s a really important signal of unity, that the EU is ready to act together and that Putin’s pressure is not driving it into a prisoner’s dilemma – where you have no coordination and that leads to everyone losing.”

Listen to the recording here:

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