International oil and gas agreements by members of the European Union will be subject to European Commission preview under rules agreed Dec. 7 by the European Parliament, Council, and Commission.
At present, EU members must notify the EC of energy deals with nonmembers after the agreements are concluded.
An EC statement said the main goals of requiring review before agreements are concluded are “to increase transparency on the gas market, make sure intergovernmental agreements are in line with EU law, and strengthen the EU’s resilience to gas-supply disruptions.”
The European Parliament and Council must formally approve the change.