EU leaders struggle for common response to energy crisis

EU leaders meet for a second day in Prague and looked to bridge divisions on how to tackle soaring energy prices as they grapple with the fallout from Russia's war on Ukraine.  

A pipeline that started pumping natural gas in May 2022 between Lithuania and Poland in Jauniunai, Lithuania. © AFP

Forty-four European leaders first met on Thursday to form a new, continent-wide "European Political Community," an idea that originated during France's EU presidency earlier this year.

On the second day of the Prague meeting, the EU 27 leaders met exclusively and discussed how to better protect their critical infrastructure in the wake of leaks from the Russia-Europe Nord Stream gas pipelines that have been blamed on "sabotage".

But it was the sharp disagreements over how to tackle the energy crisis that were the major focus of attention as the 27 nations wrangled over the best plan to try to bring down prices.

Europe is facing an energy crunch as the price of electricity generation skyrockets because of a massive surge in gas prices caused by Russia turning off the taps.

European Union leaders are meeting in Prague to try to bridge significant differences over a natural gas price cap as Russia’s war on Ukraine fuels the energy crisis. https://t.co/tFaVQgsJjs

— The Associated Press (@AP) October 7, 2022

Governments across the bloc are scrambling to lower the costs for their consumers, but they rely on different sources for their energy and are split over the solutions.

EU executive head Ursula von der Leyen is proposing a "roadmap" of measures to help ease the burden -- including potential moves to cap the price of gas.

However, there is no consensus on how any caps could work and leaders are not set to take a firm decision until a summit in Brussels later this month.

"Now, it is time to discuss how we can limit the peaks in the energy prices and the manipulation of energy prices by (Russian President Vladimir) Putin," von der Leyen told journalists.

Important discussions ahead at the informal #EUCO

• Gas price caps to tackle energy price peaks exacerbated by manipulation. We need a consensus.

• Preserving the single market and a level playing field. Let us act together, notably via #REPowerEU pic.twitter.com/uHnkXDiTwS

— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) October 7, 2022

"This will be the discussion about price caps, the question where to put them and how to put them."

More than half of the bloc have pushed for the EU to impose a price ceiling on how much it would pay for gas piped or shipped in, as the northern hemisphere winter sets in.

But Germany has so far stood in the way over fears that the move could divert precious supplies away from Europe.

Political community

On Thursday, the first gathering of the "European Political Community" at the grand Prague Castle complex brought together a disparate grouping of 44 nations from the Caucasus in the southeast to Iceland in the north-west.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, who was not invited, loomed over the meeting as discussions focused on the economic and security turmoil sparked by his invasion of Ukraine.

• Macron's European Political Community summit opens in Prague

"We displayed the unity of 44 European countries which as 44 very clearly expressed their condemnation of Russia's war and their support for Ukraine," French President Emmanuel Macron said.

The experimental format, a brainchild of Macron, was billed as a "new platform for political coordination", but there were few concrete outcomes beyond a photo of the assembled leaders.

"If you just look at the attendance here, you see the importance," said Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo.

Leaders of the 44 countries comprising the "European Political Community," Prague, 6 October 2022. © Official twitter Maia Sandu President of the Republic of Moldova

"The whole European continent is here, except two countries, Belarus and Russia. So it shows how isolated those two countries are."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, overseeing a counter-offensive against Moscow's forces, urged Europe to punish Moscow through increased arms supplies and security guarantees in a video link address.

"Here and now, I urge you to make a basic decision. A decision about (the) purpose for this community of ours. For this format of ours," Zelensky said.

"We, the leaders of Europe, can become the leaders of peace. Our European political community can become a European community of peace."

(with wires)