European Union Energy Commissioner Dan Jørgensen said the bloc faces no imminent energy-supply crisis, but warned that high prices could leave households struggling to heat their homes or travel to work. Consumers and national governments face the immediate pressure, while the European Commission weighs changes to rules and energy policy.
Households Face the Price Risk
Nearly 50 million Europeans already can't adequately heat their homes in a normal winter, Jørgensen said. He cited the figure as a warning about the social risks of another price shock, even though the EU doesn't currently face an imminent shortage of energy supplies.
“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,” Jørgensen told reporters in Dublin on Tuesday. He spoke on the sidelines of an informal gathering of energy ministers.
French President Emmanuel Macron has asked for a temporary relaxation of some fuel rules, which could help refineries produce more diesel and other products and increase domestic supply. Jørgensen welcomed the request. His comments came as the Commission considers how to manage energy markets while retaining the bloc's longer-term climate goals.
Supply Measures and National Decisions
Asked about another emergency release of oil, Fatih Birol, the International Energy Agency's (IEA) leader, said he didn't consider one a top priority. Countries have released about 20% of their strategic stocks so far, leaving roughly 80% available if supply disruptions become significantly worse and governments agree to further action.
Jørgensen 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.
Jørgensen also urged the EU to accelerate its exit from fossil fuels through investment 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.
Tax, Storage and Energy Security
The Commission won't introduce an EU-wide windfall tax to address sharply rising energy prices. EU countries can instead introduce national schemes within EU rules. Several countries have called on the Commission to propose a measure of its own, as it did in 2022.
Jørgensen acknowledged that political pressure could lead governments to subsidise fossil fuels, but urged them to keep any measures targeted and temporary. He said tax policy shouldn't undermine the bloc's energy transition.
Jørgensen and Birol urged countries to reconsider systems that heavily tax electricity while taxing gas at a lower rate. Households and industry need affordable electricity if governments want them to switch from gas and oil, they said. The European Council and the Parliament, the EU co-legislators, are discussing the matter; Germany has reservations.
EU rules set an 80% gas-storage target, down from 90%, and Jørgensen said countries still need to meet it. Falling significantly short this winter could leave the EU beginning the next refill season with less gas in reserve and create what he described as a potentially damaging cycle. Birol said cooperation between gas-producing and consuming countries would be critical, identifying Norway, Canada and Nigeria as suppliers that can help Europe manage disruptions.