Herman Halushchenko should actually witness how the EU demonstrates unity towards Russia. On Tuesday, the Ukrainian energy minister will be a guest at the meeting of the 27 EU energy ministers, to which Economics Minister Robert Habeck is traveling to Brussels on behalf of the federal government. Ministers are supposed to approve the Winter Contingency Plan, which aims to prepare the Union for a winter with little or no gas from Russia.
But nothing may come of it. Halushchenko could now see what it looks like when 27 countries try to assert their interests, resist ceding powers to Brussels and fail to reach an agreement.
Last Wednesday, Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, and the Commissioners responsible, Frans Timmermans, Thierry Breton and Kadri Simson, presented the winter plan that officials in their agency had written. The special summit of energy ministers called for Tuesday should approve the plan in an exceptionally fast-track procedure.
However, this roadmap is in danger of being shaken up, as member states are protesting against the Commission's proposal. Such is the dissatisfaction in national capitals that the plan could fall through at Tuesday's ministerial meeting. Several diplomats who are familiar with the discussions between the member states expressed this fear to WELT on Friday.
"The thing will fail," said a particularly pessimistic diplomat from a member state who supports von der Leyen's project in principle. The representatives of other member states were more cautious in their assessment, but also made it clear that there might not be the necessary qualified majority for the plan on Tuesday.
"It's a really difficult issue," said one diplomat. "Even if we don't get an agreement, just a constructive discussion and things move in the right direction on Tuesday, that would still be a success." conserve gas over the coming months so that while it's still warm, more gas can flow into gas supplies and storage tanks will run out less quickly in the colder winter months.
The Commission's proposal envisages that in the eight months from August to March next year the member countries will consume 15 percent less gas than on average in previous years.
The planned obligation to save gas is particularly sensitive from the point of view of the national capitals. If households and companies in the member states do not voluntarily save enough gas and the supply situation deteriorates dramatically, Brussels should set binding savings targets that the national governments must meet. This is what the Commission's proposal envisages.
At a meeting of the EU ambassadors on Wednesday, it quickly became clear how dissatisfied many capital cities are with the proposal. "Each member state had its own ideas and wishes, and the Commission's proposal apparently failed to meet many of them," says an EU insider.
Some member states such as Germany and the Netherlands, for example, want savings targets higher than just 15 percent, even though this value was at the upper end of the targets discussed. Other Member States such as Poland and Hungary insist on lower savings targets. And other EU countries even ask why they should save gas at all if they are not connected to the European gas grid. This applies to island states such as Malta, Cyprus and Ireland. But Spain and Portugal are also practically isolated from the EU gas market.
Protests against the plan promptly came from Madrid. "We will not make any disproportionate sacrifices after the Commission has not even asked our opinion," said the responsible minister after the plan was presented. "Unlike other countries, we Spaniards have not lived beyond our means in the energy sector." Portugal's Secretary of State for Environment and Energy said the plan was "unsustainable".
A number of member states, particularly in Eastern and Southern Europe, are viewing the project with suspicion overall. It serves above all to save the German economy, according to Warsaw, for example.
Southern European countries also feel like they are being tamed by Germany, as they did during the euro crisis. "There will be a lot of resistance from countries that suffered from the austerity policies that Germany wanted during the euro crisis," said a diplomat before the plan was presented. "In many member countries there is the impression that the plan should only help Germany."
However, the member states were particularly opposed to the fact that Brussels can also set mandatory savings targets against their will, it was said after the meeting on Wednesday. The criticism ensured that the diplomatic machinery in Brussels ran at full speed over the weekend. The Czech Republic has held the EU Council Presidency since the beginning of the month and coordinates the negotiations between the member states. The Czechs presented a revised version of the winter plan at a meeting of EU ambassadors on Friday afternoon.
Two particularly criticized points were changed in it: Firstly, the corresponding EU regulation should no longer apply for two years, but only one year. That satisfies those EU countries that insist the austerity mandate from Brussels must remain an exception.
Above all, however, the newly formulated proposal rejects Ursula von der Leyen's proposal to give her authority more power. The EU Commission should continue to propose that member states be obliged to make savings if there are signs that gas will be scarce in winter. However, the decision as to whether the obligation will actually come into force should be made by the member states in a vote. "Member States have welcomed this change," said an EU diplomat.
The biggest hurdle to adoption has thus been cleared. Whether that is enough, however, will be seen on Monday. Then the EU ambassadors meet again to discuss the project.
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