The European Commission wants EU countries to start joint gas purchases well before the summer, European Commission Vice President Maroš Šefčovič said, Reuters reports.
Following the first meeting of representatives of European Union countries to coordinate planned purchases, Šefčovič said he urged member states to promptly interact with market players in their countries to assess the amount of gas they will be buying together.
He asked industry representatives to confirm whether they are interested in joining the EU's joint gas purchase scheme, which the Commission hopes will help Europe replenish depleted storage capacity and negotiate lower prices by using countries' collective purchasing power.
Some EU officials said a number of major energy companies do not want to join because they can already negotiate their gas deals and doubt the EU scheme will lead to lower prices.
The Commission intends to make public the amount of gas that European countries plan to buy together in early spring to attract bids from suppliers. EU countries must ensure that their local companies participate in the aggregation of gas demand with volumes equivalent to 15 percent of the gas needed to fill that country's storage facilities at 90 percent capacity.
According to Eurostat, the EU-wide demand for 15 percent is about 13.5 billion cubic meters of gas, a small fraction of the EU's total gas imports of 338 billion cubic meters in 2021.
