The Council of the European Union on Friday approved a regulation on voluntary reduction of gas demand in the EU by 15% this winter. This was reported by the press service of the EU Council.

The ruling provides the possibility for the EU Council to initiate a security of supply warning, after which a reduction in gas demand will become mandatory.

The purpose of reducing gas demand is to save blue fuel this winter in order to prepare for possible disruptions in gas supplies from Russia, which constantly uses energy as a weapon.

EU member states have agreed to reduce their gas demand by 15 percent compared to their average consumption over the past five years between Aug. 1, 2022, and March 31, 2023. The measures for this they choose at their own discretion.

At the same time, the EU Council has established exceptions and possibilities to apply partial or full derogation from the objective of mandatory gas demand reduction in order to fit the specific situations of the member states and to ensure that the reduction is effective.

The regulation was formally adopted by written procedure. The adoption followed a political agreement reached by ministers at an emergency energy council on July 26. The ruling will now be published in the Official Journal and will take effect the next day.