EU agrees to 15% gas-cut target as Russia set to reduce flows

Supplies through the key Nord Stream 1 pipeline are set to drop to around 20% of capacity from Wednesday

EU energy commissioner Kadri Simson said that the impact on GDP will be "significantly smaller" if the bloc starts saving gas now, while Minister Eamon Ryan said that the cuts will not be enough. Picture: Julien Behal.

European Union countries reached a political agreement to cut their gas use by 15% through next winter as the prospect of a full cut-off from Russian supplies grows increasingly likely.

Energy ministers meeting in Brussels gave the green light to a proposal to voluntarily cut their gas usage over the next months, the Czech presidency of the EU said in a post on Twitter.