The countries of the European Union (EU) may start joint purchases of gas, including through long-term contracts. As Vice-President of the European Commission (EC) Maros Sefcovic said on February 15, such a possibility is not ruled out.
“I hear a lot about long-term contracts. We are ready for this,” he said at an event in the United States.
Speaking about the forthcoming joint purchases of gas by European states, Šefčović noted that the EU countries want to enter the global market with an official public procurement process before the next storage season.
“I’m talking about mid-April,” he clarified.
Earlier, on February 2, the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, at a press conference in Kyiv, invited Ukraine to join the platform for common gas purchases. She also noted that the EU countries will send Ukraine 2.4 thousand generators and allocate €120 million for the purchase of critical energy equipment to guarantee the operation of the power grid.
On January 16, Šefčović reported that the EU countries intended to start buying gas centrally this spring. He added that by this time the European Commission intends to publish the overall figures on the needs of the community in gas for the current year.
On January 7, then-Prime Minister of Moldova Natalia Gavrilitsa said that the country was considering joining the common EU procurement platform to replenish natural gas reserves. According to her, access to this platform will help the state to strengthen the process of ensuring energy security.
In November 2022, it became known that the energy ministers of the EU countries had previously agreed on a new mechanism for joint gas purchases. It is aimed at limiting sharp spikes in gas prices on the index of the main European hub TTF and concerns the filling of gas storage facilities by the winter of 2023-2024.
