Nearly 50 million Europeans can’t adequately heat their homes, even in a normal winter. EU Energy Commissioner Dan Jørgensen cited that figure in Dublin on Tuesday, warning that another price shock could leave households struggling to stay warm or pay for the journey to work.
The Danish Commissioner told reporters at an informal gathering of energy ministers that the bloc faces no imminent energy-supply crisis. The danger, he said, lies in cost. High prices could make it hard for ordinary households to pay for heating or travel to work, and he warned of the social risks of another spike.
Flexibility on Rules, No EU-Wide Windfall Tax
“We’re 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 said. He welcomed French President Emmanuel Macron’s request for a temporary relaxation of some fuel rules. That would help refineries produce more diesel and other products, increasing domestic supply.
One demand won’t be met. Jørgensen said efforts to prevent sharply rising prices would not include an EU-wide windfall tax, leaving member states to establish national schemes within EU rules. Several EU countries have asked the Commission to propose such a measure, as it did in 2022.
He acknowledged that political pressure could push governments to subsidise fossil fuels. He urged them to keep any such measures targeted and temporary, so tax policy doesn’t undermine the bloc’s energy transition.
Climate Goals and the Methane Delay
The Commission plans to delay enforcement of parts of the EU methane rules covering imports by one year. Jørgensen said the postponement could ease pressure on energy markets while keeping longer-term climate goals intact. “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.
His broader message: the EU should speed up its exit from fossil fuels through more 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 and International Energy Agency (IEA) leader Fatih Birol also urged countries to reconsider tax systems that heavily tax electricity while taxing gas less. Households and industry need affordable electricity if governments want them to switch from gas and oil, they said. The EU co-legislators, the European Council and the Parliament are discussing the issue, with Germany showing reservations.
Stocks and Storage
Asked whether another emergency oil release was under consideration, Birol said he didn’t see it as a top priority. Countries have released about 20% of their strategic stocks so far. Roughly 80% remains available if disruptions become significantly worse and governments agree to act.
Gas storage remains a worry. EU rules now require an 80% storage target, down from 90%, but Jørgensen said countries still need to reach it. Falling significantly short this winter could leave the EU starting the next refill season with less gas in reserve, creating what he described as a potentially damaging cycle. Birol said cooperation between gas-producing and consuming countries would be critical, naming Norway, Canada and Nigeria as suppliers that can help Europe manage disruptions.
Why This Matters: The Commission says supply is secure. Household budgets face the pressure. Nearly 50 million Europeans already can’t heat their homes adequately in a normal winter, so even a modest price rise lands hardest on people with the least room to absorb it. The EU has chosen not to propose a bloc-wide windfall tax, leaving the level of protection to what each national government can and will do within EU rules. The disagreement over taxing electricity versus gas, with Germany holding reservations, shows how much of the green transition depends on whether clean power becomes the cheaper option for ordinary families. Brussels says its climate ambitions are intact. Whether that holds through a hard winter will be judged in people’s homes.