Source: European Parliament
The Commission is committed to bring down energy prices for households and businesses to support the energy transition and EU’s competitiveness.
As part of the Clean Industrial Deal[1], the Commission adopted an Action Plan for affordable Energy[2] outlining key actions to lower energy costs for European consumers, including by ensuring well-functioning and transparent gas markets.
Mandatory filling targets in the Gas Storage Regulation (EU) 2022/1032[3] have increased transparency and predictability of market participants’ behaviour, contributing to market stability, especially during the 2022-2023 energy crisis[4].
Although the situation has improved, the gas market remains tight and competition for global liquified natural gas has increased. This is why the Commission has proposed to extend this regulation by 2 years[5].
At the same time, understanding the need for greater flexibility, the Commission issued a recommendation[6] to support Member States on how to identify and apply flexibility existing within the existing legislative framework to better coordinate and smartly design their storage filling policies ahead of winter 2025/2026.
The Commission on the other hand will consider actual market conditions when deciding on enforcement of the storage filling targets.
The Commission is carefully monitoring the internal energy market and has a good overview of the situation in individual Member States, including the effects the war against Ukraine may have on their security of supply.
Analysis shows that the impact of the end of Russian gas transit via Ukraine on gas prices has been limited. To address specific challenges, the Commission has established a High-Level Working Group with Slovakia, and is going to launch one with Hungary.
- [1] The Clean Industrial Deal: A Joint roadmap for competitiveness and decarbonisation COM(2025) 85 final.
- [2] Action Plan for Affordable Energy: Unlocking the true value of our Energy Union to secure affordable, efficient and clean energy for all Europeans COM(2025) 79 final.
- [3] https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2022/1032/oj/eng
- [4] Report from the Commission on solidarity and certain aspects concerning gas storage based on Regulation (EU) 2017/1938 of the European Parliament and of the Council COM(2025) 98 final.
- [5] Proposal for Regulation of the European Parliament and the Council amending Regulation (EU) 2017/1938 as regards the role of gas storage for securing gas supplies ahead of the winter season.
- [6] Commission Recommendation on the implementation of the gas storage filling targets in 2025 COM(2025) 1481 final.