European Council President Charles Michel said EU leaders agreed to cooperate on energy after a long day of talks. However, a consensus was not reached on capping gas prices.
European Council President Charles Michel said early Friday morning that European Union leaders “agreed to work on measures” that would combat rising energy prices.
The 27 leaders of EU nations had gathered at a two-day summit in Brussels aimed at overcoming differences between countries to combat the continent’s energy crisis.
The meeting dragged on into Friday morning as divisions between some countries could not be bridged. A consensus was not reached on capping the price of gas.
Nevertheless, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the summit established a “solid roadmap to keep on working on the topic of energy prices.”
Gas price cap remains elusive
At least 15 of the 27 countries at the summit pushed for a joint price cap on gas to reign in the cost of living
Germany and its traditional partner France were on opposing sides of the gas price cap debate, with Berlin advocating to hold off on such a measure over fear it could see gas supplies diverted to Asian markets and reduce incentives to save energy.
“We brought ourselves together,” German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said after the discussion.
“We have named precise parameters that energy ministers can use to work out the concrete details unanimously,” Scholz said, adding that EU leaders could meet again if energy ministers, who are due to meet in Luxembourg on Tuesday, cannot reach an agreement.
Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron said, “Our role is to make sure that there is a European unity and that Germany is part of it.”
“It is not good either for Germany or Europe that it isolates itself,” he added ahead of the summit. “It is important that on proposals that are the subject of a broad consensus, we can find unanimity.”