The extension of emergency measures that had been taken to address the energy crisis was necessary and proportionate, said the Minister for Energy, Commerce and Industry, George Papanastasiou, during the Transport, Telecommunications and Energy Council of the EU which was held on Tuesday in Brussels.

According to a press release, the member states reached a political agreement on the extension for one year, through written procedure, of three emergency Council Regulations on solidarity, the acceleration of the development of renewable energy projects and on the gas market correction mechanism, on the basis of a proposal by the Commission.

In his intervention, Papanastasiou supported the Spanish Presidency's compromise proposal for certain changes agreed in the context of the extension, and noted that the extension is deemed necessary and proportionate due to the persistent nature of the serious difficulties, additional risks and uncertainty prevailing in the energy sector.

Lithuania also informed the rest of the member states about the risks posed by the start of commercial operation of the second unit of the nuclear power plant in Belarus on 1 November 2023.

Papanastasiou expressed Cyprus' full solidarity and understanding of the concerns expressed regarding the safety and transparency issues arising from the commercial operation of the nuclear power plant.

He added that Cyprus in particular understands the issue, as it has similar concerns regarding the operation of a nuclear power plant in Akkuyu, Turkey, due to its proximity to Cyprus, and called for the alignment of all neighbouring states with the EU on nuclear safety.

During the Council, Ukraine's Minister of Energy, German Galushchenko, briefed his counterparts via teleconference on the energy situation in his country and the state of its energy system and infrastructure.

Finally, in the margins of the meeting, the 27 signed the Coalition Statement on Financing for Energy Efficiency and the Wind Energy Charter.