Will Europe have enough energy to make it through the winter, as Russia tightens the taps? Fatih Birol, Executive Director of the International Energy Agency, thinks so. He tells FRANCE 24: "I believe this winter will be a major energy test for Europe, but at the same time it is a test for solidarity among European countries. If we fail this energy test, the implications may well be beyond energy."
In the short term, Birol says that capping energy bills and imposing a windfall tax on energy giants could help protect households and businesses.
"I very much hope that governments around the world will make sure that these huge amounts of profits for energy companies – according to our numbers, compared to normal years, those companies have increased their profits by 250 percent, which is an incredible record – and I am sure that governments have to take measures in order to share these profits with the rest of the population to ease the burden on consumers. It is very legitimate, and I think it's a step governments need to take."
