Now it begins – The Commission asks the member countries for exceptional measures, the ministers for an emergency meeting

The European Commission asks member countries to consider reducing the use of oil and gas, writes a US newspaper Politico.

The reason is to prepare for the fact that, according to the commission, the conflict in the Middle East is in danger of turning from a price problem into a full energy supply crisis.

In a letter to national energy ministers seen by Politico, the EU’s energy commissioner Dan Jorgensen suggests that the governments of EU countries should consider “voluntary demand-saving measures, paying special attention to the transport sector.”

This could mean governments asking citizens to drive or fly less to save fuel for more important purposes. This has already been done in some Asian countries.

European traffic is highly dependent on the Persian Gulf region. More than 40 percent of the EU’s aviation fuel and diesel is imported from there.

The situation is complicated by the fact that it is difficult to find replacement sellers, and Europe cannot produce enough fuel itself.

European energy ministers will hold an emergency meeting on Tuesday due to the crisis. So far, Europe has not yet had to limit the sale of fuel, as in the oil crisis of the 1970s.