MEPs and the Spanish Presidency of the European Council have informally agreed on plans to facilitate the uptake of renewable and low-carbon gases including hydrogen on the EU’s gas market.
The regulation informally agreed aims to decarbonise the gas sector and secure supply in order to address both climate change and the disruption of gas flows caused by the Russian aggression of Ukraine.
During negotiations on the legislation, MEPs secured the possibility for member states to restrict imports of gas from Russia and Belarus, whether via pipeline or LNG.
The European Parliament has been advocating for a full ban on energy imports from Russia since April 2022, following its aggression of Ukraine.
MEPs also managed to enshrine the joint purchasing system for gas, which will aggregate demand to prevent member states from competing against each other when bidding for gas, in particular when refilling strategic reserves.
MEPs advocated for strengthening measures to boost investment in new infrastructure for hydrogen, in particular in coal regions, to facilitate the just transition of these regions and to create incentives for producers and consumers to switch to biomethane, and green and low-carbon hydrogen.
Lead MEP Jerzy Buzek (EPP, PL) said: "After two years of intensive work on the package, we have reached a historic agreement.
“The compromise reached by the three co-legislators transforms the current energy market into one based primarily on two sources - green electricity and green gases. For the first time in history, we have created, together with a directive, a complex legal framework for the hydrogen market. This is a huge step towards meeting the EU's ambitious climate goals and making the EU more competitive on the global markets.”
Agreement on reform of EU gas and hydrogen market
