Merkel says EU price crisis must not hurt energy transition

The measures the European Union's member states take to mitigate the energy price crisis must not go at the cost of the transition to renewable energies, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Friday.

"The medium- or long- term transition of our energy supply has to go in the direction of climate neutrality and this must not be hindered by temporary increases in energy prices," Merkel told a news conference after her probably last EU summit.

She added EU leaders' discussion about the recent hikes in energy prices has yielded a whole range of specific measures member states can use to react in such situations if necessary.