BRUSSELS, 6th October, 2026 (WAM) -- European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Tuesday announced a new working group to strengthen joint energy purchasing across the European Union by aggregating demand and centralising procurement amid rising energy prices.
“We are going to launch a new working group to aggregate energy demand,” von der Leyen told the European Parliament in Strasbourg during a debate ahead of an EU leaders' summit on 15th-16th October.
She said the EU should take the mechanism used during the 2022 energy crisis “to the next level”, moving beyond simply connecting buyers and sellers towards a model in which the bloc aggregates demand and centralises contracting.
The proposal is part of measures being drawn up by the European Commission to address rising energy costs. Von der Leyen said gas prices had risen 140 percent since the end of February and diesel prices had doubled, while fossil fuel imports had cost the bloc an additional €100 billion since the start of the conflict.
The Commission will also launch a “strategic dialogue on European refineries”, coordinated by Commissioners Dan Jorgensen and Andrius Kubilius, aimed at reducing costs and securing the bloc's energy needs, including for defence.
The measures follow an agreement by G7 countries last week to release 100 million barrels of diesel and crude oil to help stabilise international prices, as well as a decision to give exporters an additional year of flexibility on methane requirements.
Von der Leyen ruled out broad-based financial support to cushion the impact of higher prices on households, instead advocating targeted assistance for those most in need. She said blanket measures could increase demand, disproportionately benefit higher-income households and impose significant costs.
“There is no one-size-fits-all solution for the entire European Union. The different member states have different energy mixes and face different pressures. Our role is to give them the tools and flexibility to respond,” she said.
Von der Leyen said the long-term solution was to accelerate the electrification of the European economy and reduce reliance on imported fossil fuels. Electricity currently accounts for less than a quarter of the EU's final energy consumption, while the bloc aims to double that share by 2040, potentially cutting its annual fossil fuel import bill by about €260 billion.