Belgium: "Political" Russian gas price cap won't lower EU power bills

A "political" cap on gas imports from Russia only would not help bring down energy prices for European households and businesses, Belgium's Energy Minister Tinne Van der Straeten told Reuters ahead of emergency EU talks on Friday.

The price cap on Russian pipeline gas imports, proposed by the EU executive ahead of Friday's ministerial talks aimed at lowering runaway energy prices, has so far met a mixed reception in the bloc's 27 nations.

"Our intention first and foremost is to bring prices down. A cap on only Russian gas won't bring prices down," she said. "A cap on just Russian gas is purely political."

Instead, Belgium wants an EU-wide, dynamic price cap on exchange traded gas that is linked to Asian markets, something Van der Straeten said would ensure safety of supplies.