The emergence of the energy crisis has intensified the divisions among EU member states.

EU leaders discussed the recent surge in electricity and natural gas prices at a summit in Brussels on Thursday. While most countries have helped households and businesses by cutting taxes or approving subsidies, some want new measures on emissions, electricity and natural gas, or even downsizing climate change programmes.

Several leaders of the European Union have warnedDo not intervene hastily in response to rising energy prices, and calls from some poorer member states for immediate action have gone unanswered.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel told reporters before the meeting:

"We need to make a clear distinction between the challenges facing the climate issue, and we should deal with the status quo calmly."

At present, the 27 member states of the European Union are engaged in key negotiations on how to achieve economic decarbonization under the green agreement.The emergence of the energy crisis has intensified the differences among member states.. The EU wants to take the lead in the global fight against climate change and set an example for other major emitters such as the US and China, but the summit highlights how divided member states are over their respective energy transformations.

Belgian Prime Minister Alexander de Crow (Alexander de Croo) told reporters after the meeting:

"the EU climate plan is not dangerous, but we need to have a long-term perspective."

French President Emmanuel Macron (Emmanuel Macron) told other leaders that he expected prices to rise longer because there was no sign that prices would fall, according to an official.

Macron saidThis reinforces the need for the EU to accelerate emissions reduction over the next decade, adding that member states must invest more to reduce their dependence on fossil fuels。

In addition, Macron referred to transit routes and enhanced climate plans, and stressed the need for member States to make protective language against extreme climate fluctuations.

Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi (Mario Draghi) called on the European Commission, the EU's executive arm, to propose a regulation on natural gas reserves as soon as possible, the official said. Draghi added that the aim should be to give all EU members equal protection, including from potential political pressure.

The European Commission hopes to propose reforms to the EU natural gas market and review rules on storage and supply security by the end of this year.. Kadri Simson, the energy commissioner, said earlier this month that the European Commission was also analyzing a proposal from member states, including Spain and France, to create a joint platform for buying emergency natural gas reserves.

While strengthening the stability of energy supply is good for the EU in the medium to long term, the crisis in the short term has made the current situation worse.

The Greek government estimates that the energy crisis will cost consumers an additional 100 billion euros ($117 billion) in the winter of 2021-2022.Against a backdrop of rising electricity bills, the European Commission plans to ban new fossil fuel cars in 2035 and set carbon prices for heavily polluting household heating equipment, making it harder to implement.

At the same time, the European Commission has extended carbon emissions trading to heating and transport fuels, but the proposal has become the most criticized part of the new climate plan. The European Union has raised its 2030 greenhouse gas reduction target to at least 55% from 1990 levels, and plans to achieve net zero emissions by the middle of this century.