The European Commission is preparing a plan to limit gas consumption for EU countries in case the bloc faces catastrophic shortages.

According to Politico, three diplomatic sources in the EU told us that this proposal is planned next to a plan to save gas for the winter months.

It is assumed that in the event of an emergency situation such as a complete cessation of gas supplies from Russia, the European Commission would be able to impose binding restrictions on gas consumption.

Russia's Gazprom has already stopped or limited supplies to 12 countries and there are concerns that Russia will not resume supplies via Nord Stream-1 after a ten-day break for planned technical work.

The consumption restriction plan provides for a decision at the EU level by a qualified majority, so an individual country will not be able to block it. The European Commission will be able to launch emergency measures by its own decision or at the request of at least two countries.

There are also discussions about requiring countries to reduce their gas consumption during the cold season. Most likely, they will agree on the reduction of 10-15%.

The first discussions of the proposal will take place on Wednesday, July 20.