The EU Commission wants to oblige member states to cut consumption by up to five percent at peak times. She also wants a special tax for energy suppliers.
Talking about it is not enough: the European Commission came to this conclusion when it asked how Europe could get through the winter without having to ration energy in view of the shortage and exorbitant price increases for gas and electricity. In her five-page proposal for the crisis meeting of EU energy ministers on Friday in Brussels, she therefore proposes obliging citizens and companies in all member states to save electricity.
“In terms of peak consumption, this measure would impose mandatory savings targets for Member States during periods of peak consumption,” the paper reads. In a draft for this, which was sent to the “Financial Times”, among others, the Commission had suggested that Europe’s power consumption at these peak times should be reduced by at least five percent. This concrete number has disappeared from the final version. “It’s not the moment for figures before the discussion with ministers has taken place,” a senior Commission official commented on the change.