The Russian state-owned company began delivering more natural gas than it was contractually obligated to on Friday, Menczer Tamás, an official at Hungary’s foreign and trade ministry, wrote in a Facebook post on Saturday. By the end of August, Gazprom would supply Hungary with 2.6 million cubic meters per day, said Mencer, a member of Viktor Orban’s Fidesz party. TurkStream, which crosses the Black Sea, is called Balkan Stream in Bulgaria, where the pipeline enters EU territory. While Russia has halted gas deliveries to EU member Bulgaria, Sofia continues to pipe Russian gas to Serbia and Hungary. Three weeks ago, Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó traveled to Moscow to discuss the purchase of an additional 700 million cubic meters of natural gas, becoming the only top EU member state official to visit Russia since late February, banning the Austrian chancellor, Karl Nehammer, who made a trip in April. Hungary, which is about 85% dependent on Russian gas, has steadfastly opposed the idea of any EU sanctions on Russian gas imports, and Orbán, the prime minister, has also lobbied hard to secure an exemption from EU sanctions on imports of Russian crude oil. It is the only EU member state to categorically rule out acting on a plan to cut gas consumption by 15% from August this year to March 2023. In Germany, which also depends on Russian gas imports, the finance ministry announced on Saturday night that the country had to cut gas consumption by 20% to help the EU meet its 15% reduction target. As a first step, the government moved to reduce the mandatory minimum temperature in private and public sector offices by one degree to 19 degrees Celsius. The heating of private swimming pools will be prohibited, as well as the lighting of buildings or monuments “for purely aesthetic reasons”. Outdoor billboards will be closed from 22:00 to 06:00. Germany’s government is also ordering natural gas providers to inform their customers of rising costs and possible savings measures in the autumn. Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you to the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Natural gas makes up about 27% of Germany’s total energy mix. Before the start of Russia’s war in Ukraine, just over half (55%) of the natural gas consumed in Germany was imported from Russia, with the government reducing its dependence to less than 30% since then. Some German cities unilaterally announced austerity measures in July, with Hannover in northwest Germany announcing plans to turn off hot water in showers and bathrooms in the city’s buildings and leisure centers. “We are on the threshold of a huge national effort that will require strong coordination between the state, business and society, between the federal administration, states, municipalities, social partners, unions, artisans and their associations, as well as of civil society,” said Economy Minister Robert Hambeck. “Every effort counts.”
