All postponed to November, it was not possible to propose a legislative response to high energy to be presented at the next European Council on 20 and 21 October.
In the meantime, however, there are some openings: the German Olaf Scholz, after the initial opposition, it would have opened up to the possibility of making common debt to counter the expensive bills through loans and not, as some countries want, with non-repayable grants. Berlin urges not to use the formula of subsidies, which would risk ending up under the scrutiny of German justice, just like those former Recovery Fund.
A convergence, therefore, towards the proposal of one Sures 2 on energy, put forward by the commissioners Paolo Gentiloni e Thierry breton. Meanwhile, following the Russian bombings, Kiev has announced that it has to suspend the export of electricity to the EU.
The measure has not yet been notified to the Commission as state aid, but Ursula von der Leyen however, he warned everyone on the need to maintain alevel playing field'.
Scholz is waiting for the program of the new Italian government, the Bloomberg agency reported. "Before committing to new programs financed with EU debt, Scholz would first like to see the program of the new coalition and discuss European integration with Giorgia Meloni ".
The change of pace that Scholz leaked opens up to one of the Commission's objectives, namely that of strengthening the Repower and do it, too, with European funds. "In the EU budget “resources and flexibility are extremely limited. If we want to use it to give common responses to common challenges, we must make a reassessment "he announced von der Leyen.
It is not said that the enhancement of the Repower enter into the proposal that the Commission will define in the coming days. It will certainly be part of the goal of a common gas purchasing platform to be made compulsory starting next spring. The idea, explained a senior European official, is to follow the path that Brussels has taken with anti-Covid vaccines.
On the roof common to gas, requested by Rome, there are no openings at the moment. The plan, which Simson will partially anticipate on Wednesday at the meeting of European energy ministers in Prague, could, however, envisage two types of cap.
The first will be negotiated with 'friendly' suppliers, thanks also to long-term contracts. “We can both benefit from an increase in export volumes. We want to consolidate the partnership between the EU and Algeria ", stressed the Commissioner for Energy Kadri Simson right from Algiers.
The other cap will be that of gas which contributes to forming the price of electricity. Who will pay, however, the difference between the administered price and the market price? In Brussels' plans, the summit of leaders of the 20th will have to serve to "remove all obstacles" to an agreement and clear up any doubts.