The energy council on the 19th June reached an agreement on the regulation which aims to reinforce the protection against market manipulation on the wholesale energy market but ministers couldn’t reach consensus on the new electricity market design proposal.
Hungary couldn’t support the proposal for the directive as it doesn’t allow for Member States to protect consumers from high the electricity prices by applying below cost energy price regulation if necessary in order to keep energy prices affordable for households and for SMEs in case of energy crisis on national level.
The council also discussed issues relating to launching of the second power unit of the Belarusian nuclear power plant and the construction and operation of the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant in the southern coast of Türkiye. The Commission then gave a presentation of the recent developments in the field of external energy and the winter preparedness for the 2023/2024 heating season.
On behalf of Hungary, Minister Péter Szijjártó reminded that the purpose of the reform should be to shield consumers, to protect the interests of each and every consumer in Europe. Therefore, the right to declare an energy crisis should be kept within the competence of the member states, since in a crisis situation, the member states can act much faster and more efficiently, as shows last years’ experiences. The minister also agreed with the request of Lithuania and Cyprus for more transparency regarding the construction and operation of the Belarussian and the Akkuyu nuclear power plants. Finally he highlighted the importance of the so called Solidarity Ring project in the allowing gas from Azerbaijan to reach Central Europe and urged the Commission for assistance in making the project a reality.
