The meeting of the EU-27 Summit in Brussels turned into a thriller, as the North and the South seem to have disagreed on key issues regarding the energy crisis and the decoupling from Russian energy, the issues that are currently on the table.

Indeed, according to reports, the draft conclusions that had been made public yesterday, Thursday, have been changed and a new version of the text was released today, which tries to take into account all the individual amendments and interventions that have been made.

The meeting was marathon, and no one could predict when it would end as consultations are ongoing.

Pedro Sanchez has left

In fact, there was no shortage of unexpected events, since at one point the Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sanchez, left the room in a rage to clear his mind, as he said.

«Very nice! I'm going to get some air and clear my head and if you have something new to tell me, tell me,» he said, addressing the other leaders.

🔴 ÚLTIMA HORA | Sánchez se levanta de la cumbre europea y fuerza un parón técnico para lograr una excepción ibérica que permita bajar rápidamente la luz https://t.co/6vf8klVYd7 pic.twitter.com/2HZmrkzc6h
- EL PAÍS (@el_pais) March 25, 2022

Leaders are getting frustrated with # Pride because he doesn't seem to have his predecessor's ability to find compromise, the source says.
“General feeling in the room is that with Merkel we would have gotten a deal on the cap a long time ago.”
- Dave Keating (@DaveKeating) March 25, 2022

According to the Spanish website Ultima Hora, Pedro Sanchez read on Twitter a post by a journalist from France 24, according to which he revealed that the Spanish Prime Minister would veto the decisions of the Summit. Furious that this information had been leaked, he left the room.

Plenty of comparisons being made right now between Pedro Sanchez and David “Three Shirts” Cameron who would keep summits going longer than they had to for theatrics intended for domestic audience.
I don't think that's quite fair to Sanchez, Cameron's theatrics had no substance.
- Dave Keating (@DaveKeating) March 25, 2022

However, this is only one interpretation that is not confirmed by any other international media.

New text on the energy crisis

According to international media reports, about an hour ago a new text of an agreement on the energy crisis was distributed, which has not satisfied many EU countries.

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis reiterated his proposal on the need to impose a cap on the price of natural gas and to address the pass-through of gas prices to the electricity market and consumers.

High-toned debate

As Politico reports, citing EU diplomats, the discussion was held in a very «heated» atmosphere.

The leaders, gathered in Brussels for this summit, face the difficult task of finding a common way to contain soaring electricity prices, while Europe is trying to cut off a key source of energy - Russia. Compromise remains... a long way off so far, as leaders continue to add things to the joint text.

Various ideas have been put on the table as to how a compromise could be found, according to an official with knowledge of the discussion - but all of them have strong supporters and opponents.

The camps

One group wants aggressive EU intervention, including price caps on electricity or gas, or perhaps changing the whole structure of the energy market altogether. The Mediterranean countries have taken the lead in this effort, with partial support from Belgium and Poland.

Another group, led by Germany and the Netherlands, opposes such dramatic measures. Instead, these countries want to accelerate the development of renewable energy and quickly adopt the EU's legislative package to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, dubbed ’Fit for 55«. They argue that reforming the current market could threaten Europe's energy security.

Disagreement also on gas

Another point of contention is how the EU will ensure that it has enough gas for next winter, given the rapid pace at which Europe is reducing its Russian energy purchases. Offers on the table include a common market and EU gas storage. While these proposals have proven less controversial, Berlin does not seem convinced, always according to Politico.

Finally, it is noted that Italy has proposed the creation of an energy fund to help accelerate the transition from Russian oil and gas - an idea that has also been promoted by French President Emmanuel Macron.