Von der Leyen told the European Parliament in Strasbourg the EU plans to appoint
a single market operator to coordinate joint energy purchases and to elevate the
post‑Russia‑Ukraine gas joint‑procurement mechanism to a “next stage,” extending
it beyond gas to other energy products. She said the move comes as the EU faces
a second round of energy price shocks in less than five years. The current
mechanism aggregates EU gas demand and matches it with potential suppliers to
lower prices and reduce reliance on Russian supply, but its success in closing
final deals is disputed and many large buyers still prefer bilateral contracts.
The Commission intends to shift from simple supply‑demand matching to demand
aggregation under a designated market operator and called for investment to
strengthen resilience.
