Rising energy prices and their impact on consumers are on the minds of EU countries and they have ideas on how to tackle the problem, but will first consult, EU Energy Commissioner Kadri Simson said on Wednesday.
Simson was speaking ahead of a meeting of relevant EU country heads of department in Slovenia.
Austria's Energy Minister Leonore Gewessler said the answer to high gas prices was to switch more quickly to renewable energies. This would also create independence from Russian gas imports, for example.
Wholesale prices for natural gas have been soaring for months. In many places, consumers are already feeling the effects.
According to the comparison portals Verivox and Check24, numerous regional gas suppliers have announced price increases for the coming weeks.
Driver of rising prices
The cost of natural gas is the main driver of rising energy prices, which were almost a quarter higher in August than a year earlier.
Before the meeting, Spain's government had asked the European Commission to develop guidelines that national governments could follow to respond to the price increase.
The situation was jeopardizing a fair switch to climate-friendly energy, according to a letter to the European Commission.
