Brussels is facing pressure from at least 10 EU countries to implement a cap on gas prices for all suppliers, with some governments warning that singling out Russia could push President Vladimir Putin to cut supplies to Europe completely, Financial Times reports.
Member states that oppose European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen’s proposal to apply a cap solely on Russian gas imports include Italy, Poland and Greece, according to officials.
The lack of consensus on a gas price cap means that the proposal is likely to be discussed only briefly at an emergency meeting of energy ministers on Friday designed to agree on measures to help consumers and companies through the energy crisis, they said.
The Kremlin has threatened to stop all deliveries to Europe in case of an EU gas price cap. Russian gas supplies to the bloc have been cut by approximately 80 per cent to about 84mn cubic metres a day since February 24.
Officials said enforcing a price cap on Russian gas would probably require unanimous approval from all 27 EU states because it would be treated as a bloc sanction. A general gas price cap could be passed with a qualified majority. Hungary, Austria and the Netherlands have voiced reservations about an overall cap.