EC: EU countries agree to exclude Russian gas from joint purchase agreements

MOSCOW, November 24 – RIA Novosti. EU countries’ energy ministers have agreed to exclude Russian gas from joint purchase agreements, according to a statement released after an informal meeting in Brussels on Thursday. document.

EU countries have agreed to purchase at least 13.5 billion cubic meters of gas, or 15% of all gas required to fill storage facilities, through the joint procurement mechanism in 2023.

“Member states stressed that Russian gas will be excluded from joint purchases,” the document said.

At the same time, the statement does not specify what the term “Russian gas” means – whether fuel produced in Russia and purchased through intermediaries will be considered as such.

The joint purchasing mechanism assumes that gas companies in the EU will provide the EC with data on their needs, while the EU authorities will hire an intermediary to calculate the demands and look for a supplier. In the statement, it was stated that the countries of the Union will require companies to use the services of an intermediary in order to bring the share of the purchased gas to 15% of their obligation to fill the storage facilities in 2023.

For the resolution to take effect, it needs to be approved at the EU Energy Council’s scheduled meeting in December, but the head of the Czech Ministry of Industry and Trade (EU presidency this year. – Ed.) Josef Sikela, The negotiation on the issue has been completed and the proposal was to be approved without further discussion.