Nearly 50 million Europeans already can't adequately heat their homes in a normal winter, European Union Energy Commissioner Dan Jørgensen said. High energy prices could make heating or travelling to work unaffordable for more households, he warned. The bloc faces no imminent energy-supply crisis, but winter could still be painful because of prices.
Households Face the Price Shock
Jørgensen spoke to reporters Tuesday on the sidelines of an informal gathering of energy ministers in Dublin. The European Commission, he said, was examining ways to make rules more flexible and implementation more efficient, while responding on both the supply and demand sides.
“We are looking into all ideas of how we can make rules more flexible, be more efficient in our implementation, do what we can, both on the supply and the demand side,” he said. For households and people who need to travel to work, the commissioner identified affordability—not an immediate shortage—as a central concern.
Jørgensen said governments might face political pressure to subsidise fossil fuels as prices rise. He urged them to keep any such measures targeted and temporary, saying tax policy shouldn't undermine the bloc's energy transition. Efforts to prevent sharply rising prices, he added, wouldn't include an EU-wide windfall tax. EU countries can instead introduce national schemes within EU rules.
Several EU countries have asked the Commission to propose a windfall tax, as it did in 2022. Jørgensen left decisions on such schemes to national governments, while the Commission considers other ways to respond to energy costs.
Fuel Supply and the Green Transition
Jørgensen welcomed French President Emmanuel Macron's request for a temporary relaxation of some fuel rules. Macron's proposal aims to help refineries produce more diesel and other products and increase domestic supply.
Asked whether another emergency oil release was under consideration, Fatih Birol, the International Energy Agency's leader, said he didn't consider one a top priority. Countries have released about 20% of their strategic stocks, Birol said. Roughly 80% remains available if supply disruptions become significantly worse and governments agree on further action.
The commissioner said the EU should speed up its exit from fossil fuels by investing in renewables, electrification and energy efficiency. “Our answer is twofold: doubling down on the green transition and being flexible and pragmatic in this very difficult transition period. We must help member states, citizens and companies to help this crisis,” he said.
Jørgensen also confirmed that the Commission plans to delay enforcement by one year for parts of the EU methane rules covering imports. He said the delay could ease pressure on energy markets while preserving the bloc's longer-term climate goals. “We stick to the objectives, we stick to our ambitions, but I'm proposing now that we take part of it, the parts that are connected to imports, and postpone the set and force date by one year,” he said.
Storage and Electricity Costs
Jørgensen and Birol urged countries to reconsider tax systems that heavily tax electricity while imposing lower taxes on gas. Households and industry need affordable electricity, they said, if governments want them to switch from gas and oil. The European Council and the Parliament are discussing the issue, with Germany showing reservations.
Gas storage remains a concern. EU rules set an 80% storage target, down from 90%, and Jørgensen said countries still need to meet it. If reserves fall significantly short this winter, the EU could start the next refill season with less gas in reserve, he said, and enter what he described as a potentially damaging cycle.
Birol said cooperation between gas-producing and consuming countries would be critical to managing disruptions. He pointed to Norway, Canada and Nigeria as suppliers that can help Europe. The commissioner warned that no imminent supply crisis doesn't mean high prices pose no risk: millions already struggle to heat their homes in a normal winter.