The European Commission has said it is on track with discussions about measures to combat the ongoing energy crisis, rejecting previous criticism.
Ahead of the extraordinary meeting of EU energy ministers this Friday, European Council President Charles Michel called for concrete proposals in light of the catastrophic energy price hike. Both he and Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo criticised the Commission for being slow with proposals to tackle the crisis.
"We have been extremely consistent in explaining what is it we are doing; last week we detailed the work that is ongoing to help us deal with the consequences of Russia's invasion of Ukraine," Eric Mamer, spokesman for the EU's executive board, stated in a press conference.
The Belgian Consultative Committee on energy insisted that solutions to tackle the energy crunch must be taken at an EU level. De Croo reiterated his plea for intervention in the gas market, specifically regarding a cap on gas prices.
Work underway
Mamer said that work is underway and the Commission is finalising measures that will be included in the meeting on Friday.
The Commission announced that it would make proposals on how to re-structure the electricity market early next year and that in the meantime, emergency measures should be considered.
"I think we are fully on track. What we put on the table will be all the more useful if we have taken the time to analyse the problem in all its aspects," Mamer said.
"Before we could finalise our proposals, we had to take into account the extreme complexity of the energy topic, ensuring that our interventions will have the right results, and what impact these will have on consumers."
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Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will discuss energy issues on Tuesday at the planned meeting with the permanent representatives of the EU-27 in preparation for the Council of Energy Ministers on Friday.
