EU Leaders Agree To Prepare For 'Major Supply Disruptions' - European Council President

EU leaders on Tuesday have agreed to work towards strengthening energy efficiency of the union to prepare for possible "major supply disruptions," European Council President Charles Michel said

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 31st May, 2022) EU leaders on Tuesday have agreed to work towards strengthening energy efficiency of the union to prepare for possible "major supply disruptions," European Council President Charles Michel said.

"We agreed to work in the field of energy efficiency. To safe energy is of course a fundamental priority for us and we are also determined to invest in infrastructure, in energy interconnections and of course in renewable. We need also to improve our preparedness for major supply disruptions," Michel told a briefing after a special meeting of the European Council.

European leaders also instructed the European Commission to prepare a plan for the optimization of the European electricity market, Michel added.

In March, Russian President Vladimir Putin instructed the government and national energy giant Gazprom to switch to ruble payments for gas deliveries to the countries that imposed sanctions on Russia over its special military operation in Ukraine.

On April 27, Gazprom suspended gas supplies under contracts with Bulgarian company Bulgargaz and Poland's PGNiG after they rejected the new payment arrangement. Denmark and the Netherlands have followed suite on May 31, prompting Gazprom to halt gas supplies to these countries.

EU has already rolled out five sanctions packages against Moscow for its special military operation in Ukraine, launched on February 24. On Monday the EU leaders reached an agreement on the sixth package of sanctions against Russia stipulating the embargo on Russian oil supplies transported by sea, while pipeline deliveries will continue as normal for now due to concerns about a negative impact on the economies and energy security of land-locked countries like Hungary and Slovakia as energy prices continue to soar worldwide.