European nations brace for winter amid energy crisis

ANKARA (AA) - European nations are bracing for the coming winter amid an energy crisis caused by Russia’s war against Ukraine.

-Germany

Bakery chain Thilmann Brot has filed for insolvency because of the energy crisis, media reports said Thursday.

The family business was founded in 1937 and has 20 bakeries in Koblenz and the surrounding area in southwestern Germany.

Jens Lieser, the Insolvency administrator, cited considerable price increases for raw materials and personnel, and the sharp rise in energy costs for the economic downturn, according to the chip.de news website.

"The entire baking business is in a difficult situation, but it hits the smaller and medium-sized bakeries like Thilmann Brot particularly hard. Nevertheless, I definitely see opportunities for the Thilmann family business, since bread products are fundamentally indispensable and a re-organization with the instruments of the insolvency code can also be the start of a new beginning," he told local media.

In Germany, the list of insolvent bakery companies is getting longer.

Hampe GmbH from Neunkirchen filed for insolvency for its 19 branches in the Siegerland region in June. That was followed in the same month by Brot Manufaktur Gaues in Hanover. The large bakery, Stohr-Brot, from Dinklage and the traditional bakery, Otten, from Bremen also went into insolvency.

-France

More than one in 10 gas stations were affected by a fuel shortage Wednesday, according to media reports.

Discount campaigns and supply bottlenecks caused by strikes at refineries, and hoarding by panicked motorists are the main reasons, according to the Ouest-France newspaper.

About 12% of stations have "difficulties with at least one type of fuel" at the pump, with the situation varying by region, government spokesman Olivier Veran told reporters after a Council of Ministers meeting Wednesday. In the Hauts-de-France region, 30% of stations are affected.

French market leader TotalEnergies explained the supply shortages with "falling prices" at its stations. A discount of 20 cents per liter was added to the government discount of 30 cents per liter at all TotalEnergies stations. The discount led to a large rush at the pump, according to the company.

France, meanwhile, is expected to announce recommendations for energy conservation later Thursday, according to the Le Parisien newspaper.

Among measures expected to be announced are the encouragement of home office work and carpooling. Also, hot water in government offices will be turned off, said the newspaper.

The government's goal is to reduce energy consumption by 10% within two years. Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne will speak from the Porte de Versailles exhibition center and will presumably call on the nation to save as much energy as possible with individual gestures.

It is expected that France will subsidize those who carpool with €100 ($114). Other measures could include reducing lighting at stadiums. The recommended heating temperature could also be limited to 19 degrees Celsius (66 F). Illuminated signs may be turned off between 1 a.m. and 6 a.m. local time.

A commercial with the catchphrases: "I lower, I switch off, I shift," is aimed at raising awareness about energy-saving measures.