Energy crisis dominates European agenda as winter nears

ISTANBUL (AA) - Europe is facing a deepening energy crisis, partly because of the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, as Moscow has suspended natural gas supplies in response to economic sanctions imposed by the West.

As a result, European governments are trying to diversify supplies and introduce measures to reduce demand and save energy.

Here are the latest developments on the energy front in Europe.

- EU

Energy ministers gathered Tuesday in Luxembourg to discuss ways to cope with the energy crisis following last week's EU leaders summit in Brussels where leaders were divided on the European Commission's proposal to cap gas prices.

The ministers agreed on an additional meeting Nov. 24, Czech Industry Minister Jozef Sikela said after the meeting which he chaired.

Sikela said ministers of the 27-member bloc have "different views" about whether to put a ceiling on natural gas prices traded on the Dutch Title Transfer Facility (TTF).

- French farmers warn agricultural sector at risk amid energy crisis

French farmers said their energy costs have quadrupled in some cases which could lead to bottlenecks in the food supply chain.

The FNSEA farmers union warned Monday at a news conference in Paris that the agricultural sector is at risk due to rising energy costs. The union is demanding the state "provide concrete answers" to not jeopardize food sovereignty.

"Producers are wondering what they can put on consumers' plates," warned Sebastien Mery, a senior member of the union. "Some will make decisions to stop production.”

Small agricultural businesses in France are currently still not eligible for emergency government aid if their energy costs do not reach 3% of their sales in 2021.

- News massive strike

Unions at RATP, the public transport company in Paris and the Ile-de-France region, are calling for a strike Nov. 10.

"The Intersyndicale has today filed a strike notice from 10 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 9, until 7 a.m. Friday, Nov. 11," the unions said in a statement on Twitter.

The goal was that during the strike no metro or suburban trains would run. Or as the unions wrote: "0 Metro, 0 RER."​​​​​​​

The unions are demanding recognition of workers' qualifications and a wage increase linked to inflation, and the cost of living crisis.

Meanwhile, the CGT union has called on its website for two additional national and cross-sector mobilization days on Oct. 27 and Nov. 10 to demand wage increases.