EU gas provisioning of 15% 'still not safe': German state secretary
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Last summer, EU members had agreed to reduce their national gas consumption by 15% between August 1, 2022 and March 31, 2023.
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Morning light lights the landfall facility of the Nord Stream 1 Baltic Sea pipeline and the transfer station of the OPAL gas pipeline, the Baltic Sea Pipeline Link, in Lubmin, Germany, on July 21, 2022 (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber, File)
The German state secretary for economic affairs, Sven Giegold, told reporters on Monday that the 15% that was agreed by EU members last year to reach a gas-saving target for the next winter was "still not safe," and that EU nations should consider a better plan in order to avoid a shortage next winter.
"The gas provisioning is still not safe. Even if we manage this winter this does not mean that winter will be fine as well. Therefore our success that we achieved our gas saving targets has to be built upon with stronger targets than the current 15% for the next winter," Giegold said in a doorstep interview in Stockholm.
On July 26, 2022, EU members agreed to ration their national gas consumption by 15% between August 1, 2022, and March 31, 2023.
In May, the EU will perform a review of its gas supplies to decide whether to extend the reduction target.
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