Posted in: 10/21/2022 – 04:29
European Council President Charles Michel announced that the leaders of the 27 member states of the European Union have decided to “work on measures” aimed at halting the rise in energy prices. This comes after European Union countries accused Germany of taking a single path in the energy crisis and French President Emmanuel Macron warned against isolating Berlin itself.
EU leaders agreed on Thursday evening on a “road map” aimed at defining measures in the coming weeks to stem the rise in energy prices.
Even if the European bloc wanted Negotiations It is difficult to look like a united front, but many points still need to be resolved and negotiations in the coming weeks will be difficult.
The President of the European Commission said Ursula von der Leyen “We now have an excellent roadmap”, while the President of the European Council Charles Michel spoke of “agreeing on a package of measures” which must now be “dealt with carefully”.
“Unity and solidarity prevail. Agreement to work on measures to contain energy prices for homes and businesses,” Michel wrote on Twitter, without elaborating.
But German Chancellor Olaf Scholz made it clear that if the energy ministers did not agree on a final version, a new summit of heads of state would be needed.
According to the French president Emanuele MacronThe envisaged mechanisms could be implemented “in late October or early November”. The leaders, he said, “have sent a very clear signal to the markets of their determination and unity.”
According to the conclusions that emerged at the end of the meeting, the heads of state and government ask the Commission to submit to them “urgent and concrete decisions” on a series of measures to curb the volatility of gas prices.
The 27 countries have decided to promote joint gas purchases at the EU level.
He also called on these countries to “accelerate negotiations” with “reliable” producer countries such as Norway and the United States, in order to “exploit the economic weight” of the European Union.
European Union leaders meet Thursday and Friday in Brussels in an effort to bridge their divisions and reach a common response to the massive rise in energy prices, against the backdrop of Franco-German tension.
It is caused war in Ukraine And the sanctions imposed on Russia have upset the prices of oil, gas and electricity. But Europe has been moving slowly since February due to the sometimes conflicting interests of the member states. However, the situation requires swift action.
Belgian Prime Minister Alexandre de Croo stressed this week that this summit is “the most important in a long time”. He said that if this did not lead to “a clear political signal that we are willing to stop putting up with high gas prices”, it would be a “failure of Europe”.
Thousands of European companies fear for their survival due to competition from the United States and Asia, where prices have remained lower. In Germany and France, thousands of people demonstrated against the high cost of living.
Franco-German discord
A meeting was held on Thursday afternoon between Macron and Schulze to try to resolve their differences, shortly before the start of the meeting.
“I always want to preserve European unity and also the friendship and alliance between Germany and France”, said Macron on his arrival in Brussels, stressing that “we have a lot of work ahead of us”.
“We both work nationally and I think it is always better to consult and coordinate,” he added. “I have always considered it my duty to do everything to find traces of an agreement between Germany and France, which will then allow us to build European agreements”, added the French president.
France 24 / AFP
