Switzerland supports EU gas savings drive during the upcoming winter

The Swiss government announced on Wednesday that it had reached an agreement on a voluntary target for gas savings of 15% during the winter period from October 2024 until March 2025, in order to help support European efforts to reduce gas demand after the war in Ukraine.

In March, European Union member states extended their voluntary target of reducing gas consumption by at least 15 percent compared to the average consumption between April 2017 to March 2022.

In response to Moscow's invasion in Ukraine, the EU started its savings drive in 2022 as European countries scrambled in order to reduce their dependence on Russian gas.

In a press release, the Swiss Federal Council stated that Switzerland is totally dependent on imports of gas and will be directly impacted by any shortage in Europe.

The Council stated that "it will support the EU's target of gas savings in solidarity as it did during the previous two winter semesters." It noted that the situation regarding gas supply remained tense because of what it termed "geopolitical frictions." (Writing and Editing by Madeline Chambers).

(source: Reuters)