MOSCOW, April 3 — The European Union (EU) is considering "all possibilities" to tackle the energy crisis, including restricting fuel exports and releasing oil from emergency reserves, as part of efforts to mitigate the impact of the West Asia conflict.
Sputnik/RIA Novosti reported European Commissioner for Energy Dan Jørgensen as saying that the bloc is assessing "all possibilities", including fuel rationing and releasing more oil from emergency reserves, as it braces for a "long-lasting" energy shock from the West Asia war.
In an interview with the Financial Times newspaper, he said that the EU is developing plans to address the "structural, long-term consequences" of the conflict in West Asia. This includes "preparing for worst scenarios", even if the bloc is "not there yet" for the need to ration critical products such as jet fuel or diesel.
When asked about the possibility of relaxing aviation fuel regulations to allow for greater imports from the United States (US) or to increase the share of ethanol in automotive fuel, Jørgensen said: "We are not yet at the point where we have amended or changed any of our current rules."
He added that for some "critical" products, "we expect it to be even worse in the weeks to come".
"We are looking at all possibilities, and it is clear that the more serious the situation becomes, the more we will need to consider legislative tools," Jørgensen said.
On February 28, the US and Israel launched strikes on targets in Iran, including in Tehran, causing damage and civilian casualties. Iran responded by striking Israeli territory and US military facilities in West Asia.
Washington and Jerusalem initially claimed their "preemptive" attack was necessary to counter the perceived threat coming from Iran’s nuclear programme, but they soon made it clear that they wanted to see a change of power in Iran.
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed on the first day of the military operation. The Islamic Republic declared 40 days of mourning.
