The Agreement to reduce the consumption of EU gas to help members share the energy burden, but there is a risk of internal opaque.

Minister of Energy Members of the European Union (EU) on July 26 approving the proposal to voluntarily cut 15% of the demand for gas use from August to March 2023, in the context of supply from the supply.

In order for the plan to promote efficiency, 27 EU member countries need to set up bilateral agreements on gas sharing.

Bilateral agreements are the only thing that is effective if a real supply crisis occurs, Christian Egehofer, expert at the European Policy Research Center.

Such shoulder -to -shoulder agreements are signed to avoid panic psychology when a crisis of the supply of gas actually occurs, reducing the risk of fuel storage countries, refusing to help neighbors in difficulty.

However, the implementation of the agreement in fact is still depending on each country.

Astora natural gas storage facility, the largest Western Europe, in Rehden, Germany, March 16.

The EU law stipulates that members are responsible for transferring gas to neighboring countries are facing serious shortage, affecting households and hospitals.

The six bilateral agreements were not yet enough, the commissioner on EU Energy Kadri Simson said in June, calling for further discussion countries.

The German Ministry of Economy said it would sign a gas agreement with the Czech Republic in the winter and are discussing with Poland, Italy.

Some countries depend significantly on Russian gas gas has not had any bilateral agreement, such as Hungary.

Italy and France consumes a lot of gas after the German economic head.

Simone Tagliapietra, a senior researcher at the Bruegel Policy Institute, Belgium, said that the EU should apply a more covering compensation mechanism, in which the country consumes a lot of gas that will pay for other countries to save and save countries.

Without such a complete compensation mechanism, it is difficult to maintain the solidarity in the bloc, he said, adding that Germany, the largest economy in Europe is heavily dependent on Russian gas, so the side

The idea of compensation to share gas can attract the attention of countries like Greece and Spain.

German Economic Minister Robert Habeck visited VNG AG gas trading company in Bad Lauchstaedt, Germany, July 28.

The EU diplomats said the call of solidarity from Brussels also reminded the discomfort from southern European members who were strongly criticized for the economic policy in previous financial crises.

After the EU approved the agreement on July 26, the Spanish Energy Minister Teresa Ribera had a more reconciliation viewpoint, expressing his willingness to strengthen the ability to import natural gas (LNG) of Madrid because

German Economic Minister Robert Habeck also pledged to keep the air flow to neighboring countries, including Austria and Czech, for European solidarity.

Germany is currently the most active country in finding solidarity agreements with neighboring countries.

Some countries are not willing to cooperate, like Hungary.

Prime Minister Balan Mateusz Morawiecki on July 28 said the decision to cut gas consumption in the EU must be approved by the principle of consensus, not accepting the case of the majority of agreement.

A EU diplomat said that the fact that members help each other is also for the benefit of each country, because of the economic crisis or the scarcity of gas in a country, especially Germany, will eventually spread all over.

If Germany fell, we all fell, this diplomat emphasized.

The EU considers the reduction of gas consumption as a big step in Russia's dependence, but also shows how vulnerable European Energy Security is.

EU members committed to voluntarily reducing 15% of gas consumption and lumbar measures that would be required if the supply from Russia was cut.