The European Union has called on member states to cut natural-gas use by 15 percent under a new plan intended to prepare the bloc for a possible halt in Russian supplies.
The plan, approved two weeks ago and published as a European Council regulation on August 8, will apply for one year and is reportedly expected to go into force on August 9.
"Considering the imminent danger to the security of gas supply brought about by the Russian military aggression against Ukraine, this regulation should enter into force as a matter of urgency," according to the text of the regulation.
Under the plan, EU countries are expected to do their best to voluntarily reduce their gas consumption by 15 percent between August 1 and March 31 compared to the average consumption over the same period the past five years.
According to European Commission, a total of 45 billion cubic meters of gas must be saved to reach the target over the next seven months, and Germany alone would have to consume around 10 billion cubic meters less. Germany accounts for about 40 percent of the Russian gas imported by the European Union.
Some countries that depend heavily on Russian gas imports, such as Hungary, have demanded exemptions from the new gas-saving measures.
In the event that the European Commission determines there is a "severe gas supply shortage" or exceptionally high demand for natural gas, it can ask the 27 EU members to declare an alert that would allow the bloc to make the cuts binding and limit exceptions.
The aim of the gas savings is to prepare for a possible total cut of Russian gas supplies to the European Union.
SEE ALSO: Boom To Bust: Putin Sacrifices Gazprom's Lucrative European Market, 'Geopolitical Heft' In War With UkraineWhile the bloc has not introduced sanctions against Russian natural gas over the war in Ukraine, Moscow has significantly reduced gas supplies to the bloc in recent months in what Brussels sees as a retaliatory measure following the imposition of other EU measures intended to punish the Kremlin for launching the war.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen warned last week that Europe must prepare for the "worst situation" with regard to Russian gas supplies.