‘It took so long’: Leaders criticise late EU action on energy crisis

The European Union’s response to the worsening vitality disaster has come too late, mentioned European Council President Charles Michel and Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo.

In separate statements, the 2 leaders criticised what they see as a sluggish response to hovering electrical energy payments, that are bringing customers and companies beneath monetary pressure, elevating fears of widespread industrial paralysis and insolvency.

“There’s not a day to lose,” mentioned Michel in an interview with a number of worldwide media. “We now have to deal with the query of the value caps.”

Michel’s feedback had been seen as direct criticism towards the European Fee presided by Ursula von der Leyen, who has promised to unveil a proposal to sort out the disaster.

“[This] is just not new, we don’t begin this debate at this time,” Michel mentioned. “That’s the reason we invited the Fee a number of occasions previously to place concrete proposals on the desk to assist the member states resolve.”

A collection of paperwork signed by the Fee’s vitality division, however not formally endorsed by its authorized staff, have in current days provided some “preliminary” solutions, together with a worth cap on the surplus revenues obtained by non-gas producers (renewables, nuclear, coal) and a plan to step by step reduce down electrical energy demand.

Von der Leyen has additionally raised the potential of introducing an EU-wide cap on imports of Russian fuel, though EU officers have warned this measure might push Russia to retaliate and completely droop flows.

The concepts are set to be mentioned by member states on Friday throughout a unprecedented assembly of vitality ministers. The representatives are anticipated to carry their very own proposals to the desk.

“An ideological debate on devices is just not sufficient. We want concrete and operable proposals on the desk with the intention to ship,” Michel mentioned.

‘It took so lengthy’

Michel’s feedback had been echoed by fellow liberal Alexander De Croo, who has for months pushed for market intervention to “decouple” the value of fuel from the ultimate electrical energy invoice.

“Decisive motion [at the European level] in spring might have restricted the contamination of the electrical energy market,” De Croo mentioned in a gathering with Belgian diplomats.

“It ought to have been performed earlier, and it is a disgrace that it took so lengthy.”

De Croo referred to the principles of marginal pricing that at this time govern the EU’s liberalised electrical energy market.

Beneath this technique, all electrical energy producers – from wind and photo voltaic to fossil fuels – bid into the market and supply energy in accordance with their manufacturing prices. The bidding begins from the most affordable sources – the renewables – and finishes with the costliest ones – on this case, fuel.

Since most EU nations nonetheless depend on fuel to fulfill all their energy calls for, the ultimate worth of electrical energy is inevitably set by fuel, even when clear, cheaper sources additionally contribute to the whole combine.

Scorching summer time temperatures, persisting drought and a shortfall in nuclear manufacturing have solely augmented the position fuel performs to maintain the lights on throughout the bloc.

“We want a brand new market mannequin for electrical energy that basically capabilities and brings us again into stability,” mentioned von der Leyen, who has turn out to be more and more vocal about market reform.

Vitality specialists say marginal pricing labored nicely till the struggle broke out and that any intervention needs to be focused and time-limited. Vitality financial savings, they are saying, stay the very best device to deal with the current disaster.

‘Excessive complexity’

Requested about Michel’s criticism, a spokesperson for the European Fee refused to remark and mentioned work was ongoing forward of Friday’s extraordinary assembly.

“Considering the acute complexity of the vitality matter as such, and the sensitivities on the subject of making certain that our interventions result in the correct outcomes […] it’s clear that work was required earlier than we might finalise our proposal,” mentioned Eric Mamer, the chief’s chief spokesperson.

“What we are going to placed on the desk for dialogue shall be all of the extra useful as a result of we now have taken the time to analyse all of the completely different dimensions of this situation.”

Hours after Mamer’s response, President von der Leyen shared on Twitter a preview of the upcoming vitality proposals, together with monetary assist for electrical energy producers going through liquidity challenges.

Von der Leyen is about to present her annual State of the Union speech on 14 September, when she is predicted to unveil additional particulars of the distinctive measures.

However it’s unclear how a lot aid these options might supply as soon as applied.

In its leaked draft, the Fee warns vitality costs will stay excessive for the rest of the yr and “till 2024-2025, albeit to a lesser extent.”

“[The measures] is not going to carry vitality costs again to pre-crisis ranges or take away the numerous results of the disaster on each inflation and the European economic system as a complete,” says the doc.