Energy ministers from European Union member states did not reach a final agreement on a cap on the price of natural gas at their meeting today, two European officials told Reuters.
The ministers will continue their discussions on the issue at their already scheduled meeting next Monday, one of these officials said.
According to Reuters, German Economy Minister Robert Habeck said progress had been made on the technical issues related to the cap, but there was still no agreement. He also left open the possibility that a solution could be reached not by unanimity but by majority vote."
"We have reached a 90-95 percent agreement on the gas price cap but the big and symbolic issues have not yet been resolved," Habeck said, noting that countries needed more time.
The 27
EU countries are close to reaching an agreement on a gas cap
but it remains to be agreed on the level of the price ceiling, Czech Industry Minister Josef Šikela said after the end of the energy ministers' meeting in Brussels.
"There will be only one open issue to be discussed on Monday and that is the price that will trigger the mechanism," Sikela told a news conference.
"I think we have almost reached [AN AGREEMENT] but now we have to show that unity is not an empty letter," he added.
Sikela admitted that some countries feared that the cap could create a much bigger problem while some ministers felt that the changes to the price cap were not balanced.[/B] The latest proposal includes ways to suspend the cap if it does not work satisfactorily.
No country has asked for the issue to be referred to Thursday's summit so that the leaders of the "27" can negotiate the level of the cap, he stressed.
Source: APM
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