Europe energy union to save €40bn a year

EU policymakers yesterday unveiled plans to ensure the free flow of gas and power to every corner of the 28-member bloc, hailing it as the biggest energy shake-up for more than half a century.

The European Commission says the clash with Russia over its seizure of Ukraine’s Crimea region means there is the strongest case yet to pool resources across the EU, which relies on Moscow for around a third of its energy.

But national governments have always jealously guarded their own control over energy decisions, largely because of strategic needs and their stance on the environment.