Ministers of EU Countries for Energy Supported Joint Purchase of Gas

Prague/Bratislava, October 13 (TASR) - Most of the European Union countries supported the joint gas purchasing platform, EU ministers responsible for energy concurred at an informal meeting of the Transport, Telecommunications and Energy (TTE) Council, which was held on Wednesday (October 12) in Prague, TASR learnt from the Economy Ministry's press department. Czech Industry and Trade Minister Jozef Sikela, who hosted the meeting, stated that the EU states could start purchasing gas together before the summer of 2023. There was also agreement on the need to adjust the index for gas prices and to increase the supervision of the gas markets in order to prevent speculative behaviour on the markets. Slovak Economy Minister Karel Hirman emphasised at the meeting that Slovakia supports the concept of limiting prices for imported gas. "I again supported the letter of 15 member states to cap gas prices. Even if the proposed solutions have shortcomings, I consider it to be worse to establish national measures," he stressed. According to Hirman, it's also necessary to prepare for the fact that the current situation won't only concern the upcoming heating season, but also the 2023/2024 season. The minister also pointed out the need for structural reform of the electricity market design. According to him, despite the investments in nuclear and renewable energy sources, which represent sources with low production costs, residents and companies pay high prices for electricity. "The European Commission should therefore submit a proposal for the electricity market reform as soon as possible, including effective separation of electricity and gas prices," said Hirman. According to the Czech industry and trade minister, the states don't agree on specific measures that should stop the rise in energy prices. Nevertheless, according to him, it's clear that it's necessary to mitigate the effects of the energy crisis. am/mcs