Maribor, Slovenia. File photoBELGRADE, Jul 26Slovenian authorities support the EU initiative to cut gas consumption by 15% in order to be independent from supplies from Russia, Infrastructure Minister Bojan Kumer said. The Slovenian minister took part in an extraordinary council of ministers on Tuesday power industry of the EU countries in Brussels.In Poland, they expressed their desire to independently resolve gas saving issues»We welcome and support this proposal. I hope that today's discussion will show that European solidarity is still alive … This is not an ideal solution, but nevertheless, it is better to show the rest of the Member States that we we are implementing a joint decision. We are talking about each country giving up 15%, and this will lead us to independence from Russian gas,» Kumer said before the meeting. Earlier, the EC noted that if there is a complete halt in gas supplies from Russia, the European Union will have a shortage of this fuel, it is estimated at about 45 billion during a cold winter. The indicator may be higher or lower depending on weather conditions. The European Commission last week proposed a draft of new rules, which involves the introduction of initially voluntary goals for all countries of the union to reduce demand by 15% of the five-year average from August 1, 2022 to March 31, 2023. These 15% correspond to 45 billion cubic meters. The European Commission has also proposed a mechanism to introduce a mandatory reduction in demand by 15% for all EU states. It can be launched with a serious reduction or complete cessation of gas supplies from Russia, said the head of the EC Ursula von der Leyen. This proposal of the European Commission may come into force if it is supported by a qualified majority of the EU countries. At the same time, a number of states of the Union have previously criticized the document. The Czech Presidency of the EU Council submitted amendments to the EC proposals. They concerned, in particular, the possibility of obtaining exemptions and adjusting the mandatory demand reduction mechanism so that the decision to launch it was made by the countries, and not by the EC. >Greece to offer EU mechanism to reduce gas consumption, media reported
