The European Union (EU) is on track to start joint natural gas purchases before the summer, with most member states and some nonmember states indicating the assistance they will need to refill storage inventories ahead of next winter, said European Commission (EC) Vice President Maroš Šefčovič.

Šefčovič in a press briefing on Thursday said after the second meeting of officials leading the EU Energy Platform, 22 member states had expressed interest in aggregating demand for about 600 Bcf of supplies over the next three years. Non-EU members Moldova, Serbia and Ukraine also signaled demand for 141 Bcf. 

While that represents only a fraction of the 14.5 Tcf consumed by the EU in 2021, Šefčovič stressed that the bloc must “make full use” of joint purchases to better...