Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi has proposed a pan-European scheme to protect citizens from higher energy prices, AFP reported.

"We must consider replicating some of the joint tools that have helped us recover swiftly from the pandemic," Draghi told delegates gathered in Paris for a meeting of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).

He noted that inflation in the eurozone reached 8.1 percent in May, mainly due to higher energy prices, including oil and gas.

"Rising inflation is not wholly the sign of overheating (in the economy), but largely the result of a series of supply shocks," Draghi said