Energy ministers of European Union (EU) member states on Thursday failed to agree on the European Commission's proposal to cap the price of imported gas, Reuters reports.
The EU is currently battling record-high energy prices, which are a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
On Tuesday, the European Commission proposed a price cap of 275 euros (283 U.S. dollars) per megawatt hour (MWh).
Thursday's special meeting on this issue in Brussels ended up fruitless. Some 15 EU member states, more than half of the bloc, wanted some form of cap on gas prices. The Netherlands and Germany, however, have been more skeptical about the price caps.
The ministers will meet again in December to further discuss the gas price cap issue, according to the Czech minister of industry and trade Jozef Sikela, also the chair of the EU energy ministers meetings.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova on Thursday criticized the price caps on Russian energy proposed by the EU. Zakharova said that many oil-producing countries also oppose the price caps, as this measure will disrupt global trade system and supply chains.
