AUDIO (Slow)
AUDIO (Normal)
European Union warns of energy price crisis
The European Union (EU) is worried about rising energy prices. An EU body called the European Commission wants countries to reduce their use of gas and electricity to help control prices. The EU's Energy Commissioner, Dan Jorgensen, said: "We are facing a price crisis linked to a supply crisis." He said using less energy could help to keep fuel prices down. He added that people needed to use less because supplies are limited. He pointed to the fact that gas storage in Europe is only 68 per cent full. Mr Jorgensen said any action to control energy prices should be "well targeted" and "temporary". He asked countries to lower their energy demand until the situation improves.
In particular, Europe is worried about diesel supplies and prices. Diesel is essential for farming, construction, shipping, logistics, and other industries. Higher diesel prices increase the cost of the food we buy. The EU imports a lot of its diesel. Around 50 per cent of its diesel imports are from the USA. The European Commission is worried it might not be able to import enough of the fuel from the USA. In the past week, President Donald Trump has talked about banning exports from the USA. He said: "Let's not send out the diesel." He added that he was thinking about a ban "very seriously". EU leaders want more European-produced clean energy so that they can rely less on imported oil and gas.
-
Chat
Talk about these words from the article.
European Union / energy prices / gas / electricity / crisis / supplies / facts / demand / diesel / farming / construction / shipping / food costs / import / ban / clean energy
-
Discussion
What do you know about the European Union?
What are your energy prices like?
How worried are you about energy prices?
How easy would it be for you to use less energy?
What crises are we living through?
Have fuel bills changed your spending?
What actions can governments take to control energy prices?
What message do you have for energy company bosses?
