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Polish climate minister slams EU gas-cap prices as 'a joke'

Anna Moskwa's remarks come a day after disagreements sparked among the 27 European Union countries over a proposal to cap future gas prices at around $285 per megawatt hour.

AP

As many as 15 EU countries, including Poland, Italy and Greece want a cap, while a camp led by Germany argues that a cap could hamper gas supplies.

The European Union's gas price cap proposal is a "joke", Polish climate minister Anna Moskwa has said.

Moskwa's criticism on Thursday followed disagreement among the 27 European Union countries on Wednesday over a proposal to cap future gas prices at around $285 per megawatt hour (MWh).

"The gas cap proposal is key, but what emerged the day before yesterday is a joke," Moskwa said in Brussels.

"It was presented at the last moment and deviates from what had been proposed before and isn't acceptable as it's higher than current market prices."

As many as 15 EU countries, including Poland, Italy and Greece want a cap, while a camp led by Germany argues that a cap could hamper gas supplies.

"I don't know if there's anyone who could back this proposal; it's not even a start to a discussion," Moskwa added.

Gas-cap disagreement

Since the EU countries agreed to reduce their dependency on Russian oil following Moscow's attacks on Ukraine, discussions on various solutions have been ongoing.

After deciding to reduce their gas consumption earlier this year, the next step was to put a limit on wholesale natural-gas prices.

Not all EU members are in support of such a price cap, such as Germany and Netherlands who resist the idea due to concern about their gas supplies.

Energy companies have also not been completely on board with the proposed prices, causing further pressure on EU governments.

SOURCE: TRTWorld and agencies