Nearly 50 million Europeans already can’t adequately heat their homes 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 heat their homes or travel to work.
The Danish Commissioner was clear on one point: the bloc faces no imminent energy-supply crisis, he said. The danger is the price.
Prices, Not Shortages
Jørgensen spoke to reporters on the sidelines of an informal gathering of energy ministers. “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.
He welcomed French President Emmanuel Macron’s call for a temporary relaxation of some fuel rules. The aim is to help refineries produce more diesel and other products, lifting domestic supply.
Another emergency oil release isn’t a top priority, said Fatih Birol, the International Energy Agency’s leader, who also attended the meeting. Countries have released about 20% of their strategic stocks so far. Roughly 80% remains available if disruptions become significantly worse and governments agree to further action, Birol said.
Rules Bent, Targets Kept
The Commission plans to delay enforcement by one year for parts of the EU methane rules covering imports, Jørgensen confirmed. He said the delay could ease pressure on energy markets while keeping the bloc’s 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.
The Commissioner also said 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.
He and Birol urged countries to reconsider tax systems that tax electricity heavily while taxing gas more lightly. 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, while Germany has shown reservations.
National Budgets, National Choices
There won’t be an EU-wide windfall tax, Jørgensen said. EU countries will decide whether to introduce national schemes within EU rules. Several member states have urged the Commission to propose such a measure, as it did in 2022.
He acknowledged that political pressure could push governments to subsidise fossil fuels. His advice: keep any such measures targeted and temporary, so tax policy doesn’t undermine the bloc’s energy transition.
Gas storage remains a concern. EU rules require an 80% storage target, down from 90%, and Jørgensen said countries still need to meet it. If the bloc falls significantly short this winter, it could start the next refill season with less gas in reserve. He called that a potentially damaging cycle.
Birol stressed cooperation between gas-producing and consuming countries. He pointed to Norway, Canada and Nigeria as suppliers that can help Europe manage disruptions.
Why This Matters: The Commission is recommitting to its climate targets while delaying part of its own methane enforcement and lowering the gas storage threshold. Businesses and governments have asked for that kind of rule adjustment when costs climb. Refusing an EU-wide windfall tax puts the fiscal burden of any relief on national treasuries, which must fund schemes from their own budgets and answer to their own voters. Nearly 50 million Europeans already struggle to heat their homes in a normal winter, so the political stakes are plain. From a centre-right perspective, affordability and industrial competitiveness must count as conditions of the energy transition, not afterthoughts. Germany’s reservations over electricity taxation show how far member states remain from agreement.