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European Council President Charles Michel announced that the leaders of the 27 member states of the European Union agreed to “work on measures” aimed at stopping the rise in energy prices. This comes after European Union countries accused Germany of taking a lonely path in the energy crisis, and French President Emmanuel Macron warned against isolating Berlin itself.
European Union leaders agreed Thursday night on a “road map” aimed at laying out measures in the coming weeks to stem the rise in energy prices.
Although the European bloc wanted to Negotiations It is difficult to appear as a united front, but many points still have to be resolved, and the negotiations in the coming weeks will be difficult.
The President of the European Commission said, Ursula von der Leyen “We now have a very good road map,” while European Council President Charles Michel spoke of “agreeing on a package of measures” that must now “be dealt with carefully.”
“Unity and solidarity prevail. Agreement to work on measures to contain energy prices for homes and businesses,” Michel wrote on Twitter, without elaborating.
But German Chancellor Olaf Scholz made it clear that if energy ministers could not agree on a final version, a new summit of heads of state would be needed.
According to the French president Emmanuel MacronThe envisaged mechanisms could be implemented “at the end of October or beginning of November”. The leaders, he said, “sent a very clear signal to the markets of their determination and unity.”
According to the conclusions issued at the end of the meeting, the heads of state and government are requesting the Commission to submit to them “urgently concrete decisions” on a set of measures to curb volatile gas prices.
The 27 countries agreed to promote joint gas purchases at the EU level.
She also called on these countries to “accelerate their negotiations” with “reliable” producing countries such as Norway and the United States, in order to “take advantage of the economic weight” of the European Union.
European Union leaders meet Thursday and Friday in Brussels in an attempt to bridge their divisions and reach a common response to the massive rise in energy prices, against the backdrop of Franco-German tension.
and caused the war in Ukraine And the sanctions imposed on Russia shocked the prices of oil, gas and electricity. But Europe has been moving slowly since February due to the sometimes conflicting interests of member states. However, the situation requires rapid action.
Belgian Prime Minister Alexandre de Croo stressed this week that this summit is “the most important for a long time.” He said that if this did not lead to a “clear political signal that we have the will to stop bearing high gas prices”, it would be a “failure of Europe”.
Thousands of European companies fear for their survival because of competition from the United States and Asia, where prices have remained lower. In Germany and France, thousands of people demonstrated against the high cost of living.
french german discord
A meeting was held between Macron and Schulze on Thursday afternoon to try to settle their differences, just before the meeting began.
“I always wish to preserve European unity and the friendship and alliance between Germany and France as well,” Macron said upon his arrival in Brussels, stressing that “we have a lot of work ahead of us.”
“Both of us work at the national level and I think it is always better to consult and coordinate,” he added. “I have always considered it my duty to do everything so that we find tracks of agreement between Germany and France, which will then make it possible to build European agreements,” the French president added.
France 24/AFP