BRUSSELS - In a bid to ensure that any full Russian cut in natural gas supplies to the bloc will not fundamentally disrupt industries next winter, the EU headquarters suggested on Wednesday that member states should reduce their costs in the coming months. Gas supply should be increased. Reduce usage by 15%.

The Commission called for the implementation of mandatory reductions in the EU in the event of an EU-wide warning "when there is a substantial risk of a severe gas shortage or there is an exceptionally high demand for gas, which would result in a significant decline." " gas supply conditions," even though the initial reduction will be voluntary. According to EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, it is much needed.

"Russia is using us as pawns. Energy is being used by Russia as a weapon. Therefore, Europe must be prepared in any scenario, whether it involves a partial or complete cutoff of Russian gas." " Yes, according to von der Leyen.

The energy minister will meet in an emergency session on Tuesday to discuss the measures. National capitals will have to consider handing over control of energy policy to Brussels so that they can be approved.

A blog post by the International Monetary Fund warned on Wednesday about the power of Russian President Vladimir Putin by proposing to weaponize energy exports and cut the 27-nation bloc.

According to IMFBlog, Europe's development is already vulnerable to partial gas distribution shutdowns, and a complete shutdown could be much worse. Additionally, it stated that the GDP of member countries, including Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic, could decline by up to 6%. Italy, which already has significant economic issues, "will also experience significant impacts.

According to EU economic forecasts released last week, Russia's war in Ukraine is projected to have a negative impact on economic recovery for the foreseeable future, leading to lower annual growth and record-high inflation. As the bloc recovers from a pandemic-induced recession, disruptions in Russian energy trade threaten to trigger a recession.

The European Union approved a ban on most Russian oil and coal to come into force later this year following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, but natural gas was left out as the 27-nation bloc produces electricity. Depends on gas for cooking and heating homes. To try to wreak economic and political havoc in Europe this winter, she now fears Putin will somehow cut the gas.

Such threats forced the block's head office to develop a strategy focused on energy cuts and savings, which could result in a much longer winter but without significant disruption.

Although EU countries and commissions are on the buyout from Russia to diversify their natural gas sources, it is estimated that they will do much more than supply homes and businesses with enough energy during the cold winter months. Will happen

Even though the EU currently has enough gas to keep lights and factories running, it does so at exorbitantly high prices that have stoked runaway inflation and stunned the public.

There are concerns that the energy crisis will worsen if Russia does not restart a vital pipeline for Germany after scheduled maintenance ends on Thursday. Russia has shut down or reduced gas for some EU countries.

Energy shortages are also bringing long forgotten political issues back to Europe. National governments have protected their authority on energy issues while the European Union has gained centralized control over monetary, trade, antitrust and agricultural policies.

The European Commission has been slowly eroding this bastion of national sovereignty for decades, using past supply disruptions to secure an increase in EU influence. The most obvious test of whether member states are willing to further relinquish their energy dominance is the five-month-old Russian invasion of Ukraine.

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