The energy ministers of the European Union will hold an extraordinary council on Friday, September 30, to examine the urgent package of energy measures proposed by the European Commission. This gathering reflects the bloc’s heightened concern about surging electricity costs and the strain these prices place on households, businesses, and public services across member states. The meeting aims to present a clear, coordinated response that can be quickly translated into policy actions across the Union and, crucially, into tangible relief for consumers and industry alike.
With twenty-seven EU nations represented, the summit will focus on strategic decisions about electricity consumption targets and the potential design of support mechanisms. The College of Commissioners is scheduled to discuss the package this Tuesday, with plans to advance it through the legislative process by Wednesday. The core ideas under consideration include limiting extraordinary profits earned by electricity producers, particularly those linked to renewable or nuclear generation, and introducing a solidarity mechanism to share the burden with companies operating in fossil fuels when energy prices spike. These policy levers are intended to curb price volatility, stabilize the internal market, and protect energy security across Europe as markets remain unsettled in the face of geopolitical and climatic pressures.
Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, is slated to present the proposed measures during a plenary session at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France. Following the presentation, the plan will be discussed by the member states in order to formalize the measures as soon as possible. The goal is a timely, implementable package that can be rolled out at speed, while ensuring coherence with existing EU energy rules and environmental commitments. This approach seeks to balance the need for immediate relief with long-term policy stability, encouraging investment in cleaner energy sources and the modernization of energy networks across the Union.
Earlier last week, EU energy ministers convened in an extraordinary format to solidify a common approach to the energy crisis. The discussions emphasized practical solutions aimed at securing energy supply and mitigating price shocks, while also guaranteeing that vulnerable groups do not bear an outsized portion of the burden. The consensus on savings targets for electricity usage was broad, but divisions emerged over the tools used to constrain gas prices. Some member states, notably Italy and Belgium, advocated expanding the scope of price caps to cover all gas imports rather than limiting them to gas sourced from particular origins. The debate highlighted the tension between immediate price containment and broader market intervention, a balance the EU seeks to strike as it coordinates its energy policy with climate objectives and competition rules across diverse national contexts.