EU business lobby warns gas rationing would be 'disastrous'

The EU’s main business lobby warned on Wednesday that any decision to curb economic activity to cut back on Europe’s use of Russian gas would have calamitous effects.

“Forced curtailment of production would have disastrous economic effects and often irreversible impact on businesses,” said Markus Beyrer, director general of Business Europe, after the European Commission released a plan on cutting gas demand by 15 percent this winter.

“It should be considered only as an option of very last resort,” he added in a short statement.