The European Commission does not currently plan additional intervention in the EU gas market despite storage facilities being around 65% full, leaving inventories below levels normally recorded at this stage of the year.
Brussels is instead relying on flexibility contained in the existing storage framework as governments prepare for the 2026/27 winter.
While the EU’s general filling objective is 90%, member states have been told that inventories of around 80% could be sufficient for the coming winter under current market and supply conditions.
Commission spokesperson Anna-Kaisa Itkonen said existing rules and security-of-supply measures were considered adequate following discussions within the EU Gas Coordination Group.
The legislation also allows the Commission to reduce the filling objective by another 5 percentage points through a delegated act if market or supply conditions warrant it.
Authorities will continue monitoring national storage positions, with the Gas Coordination Group expected to review the situation again during September.
The lower inventory buffer nevertheless leaves Europe more exposed to a major supply disruption than in recent years. A prolonged interruption to Middle Eastern gas or LNG flows could tighten balances rapidly and amplify winter price volatility.
For now, however, the Commission sees no immediate need to add further market measures, indicating that policymakers remain prepared to tolerate lower storage levels rather than force additional injections at any cost.
