Spain, Portugal reject EU plan to cap natural gas use

By JOSEPH WILSON
Associated Press

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — The governments of Spain and Portugal have both rejected the proposal by the European Commission’s president to establish a mandatory reduction in natural gas use to prepare for a potential cutoff this winter by Russia. The proposal by the EU’s head office would start with voluntary reductions but it also wants the power to make 15% savings mandatory in the event of an EU-wide energy emergency provoked by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Madrid and Lisbon said making reductions obligatory is a non-starter. They noted that they use very little Russian gas and that there are scant energy connections linking them to the rest of Europe.