Spain and Portugal reject EU plan to limit natural gas use

By JOSEPH WILSON
Associated Press

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — The governments of Spain and Portugal have criticized a European Union plan to reduce the bloc’s natural gas use by 15% to prepare for a potential cutoff by Russia this winter. The governments in Madrid and Lisbon said Thursday that they wouldn’t support the initiative. The proposal would start with voluntary reductions, but the EU’s head office also wants the power to make 15% savings mandatory in the event of an EU-wide energy emergency. Spain and Portugal said making reductions obligatory was a non-starter. They noted that there are scant energy connections linking them to the rest of Europe and that they use very little Russian gas compared to fellow EU members Germany and Italy.