Draghi leads push for common EU response to energy crisis

By FRANCES D’EMILIO
Associated Press

ROME (AP) — Italian Premier Mario Draghi has hosted leaders from three fellow Mediterranean countries to push for a common European response to the energy crisis that has been worsened by Russia’s war in Ukraine. The prime ministers of Spain and Portugal participated in person Friday in Rome, while Greece’s premier joined by video. The four leaders agreed to press for European Union to urgently forge a common policy on energy, whose prices were already soaring before Russia began the war last month. Draghi has been pushing for an EU-wide stockpiling of energy, plus a cap on prices. Later Friday, Draghi announced that gasoline will cost 25 euro cents ($0.28) less per liter ($1.06 less per gallon) through the end of April in Italy.