{"id":167449,"date":"2026-03-31T22:48:36","date_gmt":"2026-03-31T20:48:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/frihetsnytt.se\/?p=167449"},"modified":"2026-04-01T05:42:45","modified_gmt":"2026-04-01T03:42:45","slug":"panik-i-bryssel-over-branslebrist-kor-mindre-bil","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/frihetsnytt.se\/en\/panik-i-bryssel-over-branslebrist-kor-mindre-bil\/","title":{"rendered":"Panic in Brussels over fuel shortage: \u201dDrive less\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"
Following Swedish warnings of possible rationing, the tone in Brussels is getting tougher, with EU leaders urging households and businesses to cut back on fuel consumption as the energy situation rapidly deteriorates.<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

EU energy ministers held an extraordinary meeting on Tuesday after the energy market situation became increasingly tense. The background is disruptions in global oil supplies, with the conflict in the Middle East and the blockage of the Strait of Hormuz identified as key factors, reports Politico<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The meeting was described as an attempt to coordinate actions between member states in a context of increasing uncertainty. No concrete decisions were presented immediately after the meeting, but the signals from the European Commission were clear: the focus is now on rapidly reducing consumption.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

EU Energy Commissioner Dan J\u00f8rgensen<\/strong> emphasized the seriousness:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

- The more we can do to save oil, especially diesel and aviation fuel, the better it is for us.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Everyday life can change - clear signals to citizens<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

In the margins of the meeting, the European Commission issued concrete calls that directly affect people's daily lives. These are not individual technical measures, but large-scale behavioral changes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Speaking after the meeting, J\u00f8rgensen stressed that the situation could be long-lasting:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

- Even if ... peace prevails tomorrow, we will not return to normal in the foreseeable future.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the measures highlighted are increased home working, reduced car travel, lower speeds on roads and greater use of public transport and car sharing. Several of these measures aim to rapidly reduce the demand for diesel and other fuels in the transport sector.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sweden in the same development<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

The developments in Brussels come shortly after Swedish government representatives warned<\/a><\/strong> for a more strained situation here too. Minister of Finance Elisabeth Svantesson<\/strong> has opened the possibility of rationing if supplies are affected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

- We are preparing for the worst.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the same time, the Swedish Energy Agency states that there is currently no shortage in Sweden, but that the effects of missing deliveries may not be felt until later in the spring.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From price pressure to supply issue<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

In previous energy crises, the focus has often been on rising prices; in the current EU discussions, a somewhat different picture emerges, with supply itself also highlighted as a key factor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Energy systems researchers point out that prolonged disruptions can lead to reduced supply, not just more expensive energy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is in this context that measures to influence demand are discussed, alongside longer-term issues of energy production and self-sufficiency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Next steps expected from the EU<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Following the meeting in Brussels, the European Commission is expected to present further measures shortly. It is not yet clear what these will include, but discussions have focused on support measures, energy investments and various forms of coordination between member states.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Developments are now being closely monitored by governments and authorities in Europe, with the next steps largely determined by how long the disruptions to global energy flows last.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Brussels sounds the alarm about a fuel crisis. The EU is now urging households to drive less \u2013 while also warning that the situation could be long-term.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":28,"featured_media":167454,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[207,1522,205],"tags":[103,148],"class_list":["post-167449","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-utrikes","category-mellan","category-nyheter","tag-bransle","tag-eu"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/frihetsnytt.se\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/167449","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/frihetsnytt.se\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/frihetsnytt.se\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/frihetsnytt.se\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/28"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/frihetsnytt.se\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=167449"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/frihetsnytt.se\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/167449\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/frihetsnytt.se\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/167454"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/frihetsnytt.se\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=167449"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/frihetsnytt.se\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=167449"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/frihetsnytt.se\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=167449"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}