EU leaders seek new measures to ease energy crisis; six countries push to delay fuel charges to 2030

EU leaders called on the European Commission to propose further short-term measures to address soaring energy prices, acknowledging the need for action tailored to member states' differing conditions, including electricity price gaps. The final summit conclusions, published Friday, follow pressure from Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis for a more flexible EU response. The Commission will also consider extending state aid rules for energy-intensive industries and optimizing EU refinery capacity. Separately, Greece and five other countries are preparing a joint request to delay the new ETS2 emissions trading system for fuels until at least 2030, citing high energy costs. Mitsotakis warned of a risk of European deindustrialization without significant revisions to the current system.