(ANSA-AFP) - BRUSSELS, NOV 24 - EU energy ministers failed
Thursday to agree a cap on gas prices to mitigate the energy
crunch in Europe amid deep divisions over an initial proposal
slammed by many as a "joke". The ministers will now meet in the
first half of December to try to bridge differences, said Czech
Industry Minister Jozef Sikela, whose country holds the current
presidency of the EU. He added that the ministers did manage to
adopt a couple of other "important measures", including joint
gas purchases to avoid intra-EU competition driving up prices,
supply solidarity in times of need, and hastening authorisation
of renewable energy sources. Several ministers going into
Thursday's meeting complained that the gas price cap proposal on
the table, unveiled by the European Commission just two days
earlier, was clearly designed to never be used. The Polish and
Spanish energy ministers called the proposal a "joke". Greek
Energy Minister Kostas Skrekas said the cap "is not actually a
ceiling" on gas prices, and "we are losing valuable time without
results". (ANSA-AFP).
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