Ursula von der Leyen calls for urgent EU-level measures to counter rising energy prices

The European Union must rapidly support member states affected by rising energy prices and address the market’s structural problems in the long term, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Tuesday in Strasbourg during a plenary session of the European Parliament.

The head of the EU executive said that gas prices in the EU had risen by 140% since the end of February and warned that the situation could worsen. She cited energy voucher schemes in France and Romania as examples of support for low-income families.

The European Commission will give natural gas exporters an additional year to prepare for the new European regulations. At the same time, the EU executive will launch a strategic dialogue on European refineries, focusing on reducing costs, and will propose measures to increase the share of electricity in total energy consumption.

Von der Leyen advocated replacing fossil fuels with clean energy produced in Europe and expanding its production. In the debate over the EU budget for 2028–2034, she reaffirmed that agriculture and cohesion policy would remain priorities, while several MEPs called for additional own resources and the protection of essential funding.