Ljubljana - Slovenia has welcomed the coordinated measures at the EU level to ensure a unified response to the current gas supply crisis, and advocated a uniform reduction of consumption of 15% in all EU member states if it is necessary to introduce mandatory cuts. The country agrees with the basic structure of the European Commission's proposal.

The assessment comes as the European Commission has drafted a regulation that sets a target for the member states of voluntary reduction of gas consumption from 1 August this year to 31 March 2023 by 15% compared to the average gas consumption between August and March in the last five years.

Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said as she presented the proposal on Wednesday that the regulation would allow the Commission to issue an alert at the EU level after consultation with the member states that would make the 15% reduction mandatory.

The Infrastructure Ministry said on Friday regarding the proposed regulation that Slovenia believed that "market instruments as presented by the Commission are the most efficient and suitable starting point".

"If it comes to a point when mandatory rationing of gas consumption needs to be introduced throughout the EU, Slovenia advocates a uniform reduction by 15% in all member states and agrees with the basic structure of the proposal," it added.

The ministry said that Slovenia especially welcomed the Commission's recommendations that the public sector should be an example in saving energy, as well as the planned market mechanisms that can help reduce consumption.

It noted that as it prepared itself for possible emergencies that would occur in light of further reductions in the supply of gas, the government had called on the transmission system operator Plinovodi and the Energy Agency to make an analysis on a possible voluntary rationing.

Plinovodi has also been ordered to prepare an action plan together with natural gas importers and the ministry with different scenarios on how the use of natural gas of Russian origin could be abandoned by 2025.

The EU ministers in charge of energy, including Slovenian Infrastructure Minister Bojan Kumer, will discuss the proposal, which according to Politico are being opposed by Poland, Portugal, Spain, Cyprus, Greece and Hungary, at a meeting next Tuesday.

Commenting on the proposal, Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GZS) director general Aleš Cantarutti said that "we have established in a survey that our industry could reduce gas consumption by 10% with certain measures that are at our disposal."

"So I think we are close to that goal and the industry will do its part as well. I think the measure is reasonable," Cantarutti told the press after the GZS leadership met with Kumer to discuss measures to mitigate the rising energy prices.