Europe’s hard choices on gas security
EU half measures over storage regulation, geopolitical risks to ending Russian gas, power outage questions and China’s LNG resale leverage make for a challenging path ahead.
The EU revised its gas storage regulation once again in May, aiming to ease summer gas prices and avoid exorbitant refilling costs. Rather than maintaining the original target of 90% minimum fill by 1 November, the new rule now requires only an 83% minimum level at any point between 1 October and 1 December. This change marks a step backward. Instead of providing citizens with a clear, resilient and stable framework, the regulation remains vulnerable to lobbying and interference from member states, undermining its effectiveness. Rather than wasting time and resources on these incremental and counterproductive adjustments, the EU should consider a fundamental question: is its storage regulat
Also in this section
17 February 2026
The 25th WPC Energy Congress, taking place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia from 26–30 April 2026, will bring together leaders from the political, industrial, financial and technology sectors under the unifying theme “Pathways to an Energy Future for All”
17 February 2026
Siemens Energy has been active in the Kingdom for nearly a century, evolving over that time from a project-based foreign supplier to a locally operating multi-national company with its own domestic supply chain and workforce
17 February 2026
Eni’s chief operating officer for global natural resources, Guido Brusco, takes stock of the company’s key achievements over the past year, and what differentiates its strategy from those of its peers in the LNG sector and beyond
16 February 2026
As the third wave of global LNG arrives, Wood Mackenzie’s director for Europe gas and LNG, Tom Marzec-Manser, discusses with Petroleum Economist the outlook for Europe’s gas market in 2026
