France will send gas to Germany if necessary, while Germany is ready to provide the country with electricity, President Emmanuel Macron said on Monday, adding that it shows European solidarity in the face of the energy crisis stemming from the war. in Ukraine.
European gas prices rose as the euro fell sharply on Monday after Russia stopped pumping gas through a key supply line, another warning to the EU as the bloc tries to come up with a response to the crisis ahead of winter.
"Germany needs our gas and we need energy from the rest of Europe, especially Germany," the French president told a news conference after a phone call with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
Infrastructure links for France to send gas to Germany when needed will be finalized in the coming weeks, he said, adding that France, which had long been a net exporter of electricity, will need help from its neighbors, due to technical problems in its nuclear power plants.
However Macron said he did not understand the demand for a third link to transport gas between France and Spain, rejecting calls to increase capacity with a new pipeline.
He added that he was open to changing his mind if Chancellor Scholz or Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez manage to make convincing arguments on the matter.
Ahead of a meeting on Friday of EU energy ministers, Macron said France was in favor of buying gas at a European rather than national level and called for measures by the European Union to control the price of energy. .
He said it was necessary to act against speculation, adding that France was in favor of putting a ceiling on the price of Russian gas.
Macron also repeated calls for everyone not to use air conditioners when it's hot and to limit heating to 19 degrees Celsius this winter.