EU states have agreed to new sanctions against Russia, but the green light for a gas price cap has yet to be given. Energy ministers are expected to find a solution on Monday. A special summit on migration has been scheduled for February.
After months of wrangling, the EU wants to make its decision on a European gas price cap – but not until next week. There was a “clear” order from the EU’s 27 heads of state and government to EU energy ministers on Monday to find a solution, Chancellor Karl Nehammer (ÖVP) said after the EU summit on Thursday night. in Brussels. However, the availability and affordability of gas must be ensured.
Apparently, the EU’s heads of state and government managed to reach a rapprochement in what is expected to be their last meeting of this year. There was agreement in “many areas”, explained Nehammer. He did not elaborate on this.
Summit participants said the concerns of skeptical states would be taken into account. While Greece and Italy, for example, advocate a strict upper limit, Austria and Germany, among others, fear for security of supply.
The EU has been struggling for months to figure out how the wildly fluctuating gas price can be brought under control. Under pressure from many states, the EU Commission finally proposed to limit the price of gas sold at the TTF wholesale site to EUR 275 per megawatt-hour under certain circumstances. A lower limit of 180 to 220 euros is now under discussion.
Special migration summit in February
At the end of the summit, Nehammer also emphasized that Austria, with the support of the Netherlands, managed to create a common awareness of the problem of migration. “Now we put this issue back at the heart of the European debate.” There should be a special summit on February 9, the chancellor said. However, the accession of Romania and Bulgaria to the borderless Schengen area is not realistic until then.
Another central concern of Austria was the granting of the EU candidate list to Bosnia and Herzegovina. “Thank God it’s done now, it’s an important signal for the Western Balkans,” Nehammer welcomed the move. Bosnia and Herzegovina has been waiting for many years to join the EU.
EU states have meanwhile reached a settlement in their dispute with Poland over the global minimum tax for companies. Warsaw dropped its resistance and thus paved the way for a whole series of agreements linked to it, in particular the planned €18 billion EU aid for Ukraine next year.
Selenskij with video switch appeals
In a video message, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy also urged EU heads of state and government to provide modern tanks and air defense systems to defend against Russia. He also called for large-scale gas and electricity supplies to compensate for the destruction of infrastructure by Russian attacks.
On the sidelines of the summit, the Committee of Permanent Representatives of the Member States launched a ninth package of sanctions against Russia. Among other things, punitive measures against Russian banks and additional trade restrictions are planned, as well as a list of almost 200 people and institutions. Asset freezes and EU entry bans are imposed on them.
Veto prevented by Poland
A dispute over possible undesirable side effects of the sanctions had already been resolved. Poland and the Baltic states opposed. For them, the export exemptions for grains and fertilizers proposed by several western countries went too far.
At the summit, EU states also discussed how they should react to the US Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), which provides $430 billion in tax breaks and subsidies for climate-friendly technologies. Many EU governments fear a distortion of competition in favor of the US.
EU states are now asking the EU Commission to come forward with proposals in January to “mobilize relevant national and EU instruments and improve investment conditions”, according to an EU official. In addition, the Brussels authority must present a strategy to increase European competitiveness and productivity by early 2023.
(APA/dpa/Portal)