More flexible EU regulations for the refilling of gas storage facilities

The EU Parliament has voted on more flexible EU requirements for filling gas storage facilities. A corresponding proposal from the EU Commission envisages extending the EU program for filling gas storage facilities from 2022 to December 31, 2027. The program was originally only supposed to run until the end of 2025. The aim is to secure supplies before the heating season, as Europe imports a lot of gas from countries outside the EU and the energy crisis was further exacerbated by the war in Ukraine. A crucial change that was also discussed in parliament is the reduction of the mandatory filling of gas storage facilities to 83 percent. Previously this value was 90 percent. The aim is to relax the annual market dynamics, counteract speculation on the gas market and reduce prices. Attention: The voting results shown on the right only reflect the voting behavior of the 96 German MEPs and not that of all 720 MEPs. Overall, the Commission's proposal was adopted with 425 votes in favour, 106 against and 43 abstentions. Of the German MEPs, 57 voted for and 22 against. There was one abstention from Sebastian Everding.

Vote breakdown