Commission welcomes political agreement on gas storage extension

This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission.

The European Commission welcomes the provisional political agreement reached between the European Parliament and the Council today on the Commission’s proposal to prolong the EU Gas Storage Regulation until the end of 2027. The prolongation of gas storage obligations for the next two years will significantly contribute to maintaining the EU’s security of energy supply and gas market stability by incentivising preparations for the upcoming winter seasons in a coordinated manner across the Union. Stable energy supplies at affordable prices are key for a competitive European economy.

Under the political agreement, Member States will have to reach 90% of gas storage filling every year, but they will have more flexibility to achieve the target, taking into account developments on the gas market. More specifically, the storage target can be achieved over a period between 1 October and 1 December each year. The gas storage refilling trajectories are made indicative unless decided otherwise by the Member States. In addition, Member States will have more flexibilities in reaching the mandatory targets in case of difficult market conditions or technical constraints.

The European Commission will work closely with the Member States to ensure an optimal gas storage refilling and the achievement of the target, including by exploring the full potential of the demand aggregation and joint purchasing. It will also continue monitoring the security of gas supply across the EU and market developments, including via the Gas Coordination Group with the Member States.

Next steps

Following today’s political agreement, the text must be formally adopted by both the European Parliament and the Council. It will then enter into force on the day following its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.

As announced in the Action Plan for Affordable Energy, the Commission will also, more broadly, review the EU’s energy security framework to enhance the resilience of EU’s energy system at anytime and ensure price stability.

Background

The EU introduced the Gas Storage Regulation in June 2022, at the height of the energy crisis, as part of its efforts to ensure sufficient supplies to power EU homes and businesses throughout winter. The EU’s significant gas storage capacities and EU storage facilities ensure around a third of EU’s winter supply.

A report on the functioning of the Gas Storage Regulation, published in March this year, confirmed that the framework has ensured security of supply by lowering risks of supply disruption and allowing the EU to advance its efforts to reduce energy dependence on Russia.

Over the past years, the EU has consistently exceeded its gas storage filling target before the beginning of each heating season, helping to reduce security of supply risks and lower prices. In March 2025, the Commission adopted a proposal to prolong the gas storage obligations for two years to further ensure security of supply and help stabilise the European gas markets.