Faced with further gas supply cuts from Russia, EU countries have approved a weak emergency plan to curb demand.
According to the Reuters news agency, Europe has been facing severe gas shortages since Wednesday as Russia's Gazprom said it would cut gas to Germany by a fifth through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline.
The emergency plan was approved on Tuesday after some countries agreed to cut supply limits.
European countries are in the midst of a major energy crisis and Belgium has asked member states to stockpile gas for the winter as supplies from Russia, which has been embargoed by the Ukraine war, are also feared to be completely cut off.
The European Union's energy minister approved a proposal that all member states voluntarily cut gas consumption by an average of 15 percent between August and March.
According to the proposal, if all the member states agree, then in case of emergency, cut in gas consumption should be made mandatory. But member states have agreed that several industries will be exempt from the mandatory 15 percent cut.
German Economy Minister Robert Heibeck said that this agreement will make it clear to Russian President Vladimir Putin that Europe is united. "You will not be able to divide us."
Hungary was the only country to oppose the deal, two EU officials said.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that Russia is cutting supplies to impose gas "price terrorism" on Europe.
"Using Gazprom, Moscow is doing everything possible to make the coming winter as hard as possible for European countries," the Ukrainian president said in a video statement on Tuesday. Terrorism must be answered. Put restrictions.
