European Union member states have approved an emergency plan to curb gas consumption that includes compromises to limit the cuts for some countries as they prepare for further Russian reductions in supply.
The EU has urged member states to save gas and store it for winter to offset a potentially total Russian gas cut-off in retaliation for Western sanctions over Moscow's war with Ukraine.
The bloc's energy ministers on July 26 approved a proposal for all EU countries to voluntarily cut gas their gas usage by 15 percent from next month until the end of March.
That reduction could be become compulsory in a supply emergency, but the ministers agreed to exempt numerous countries and industries following resistance from some governments to Brussels' original proposal to slap a binding 15 percent cut on every member state.
Czech Industry and Trade Minister Jozef Sikela, whose country currently holds the EU's rotating presidency, hailed the outcome of the meeting as a model of European solidarity.
"The EU is united and solidary," Sikela said in a statement.
"Today’s decision has clearly shown the member states will stand tall against any Russian attempt to divide the EU by using energy supplies as a weapon," he said.
Ireland and Malta, which are not connected to other EU countries' gas networks, were among the exempted countries.
Hungary, whose right-wing nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban maintains warm relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin, was the only country that opposed the deal, two EU officials said.
Russia's state-owned energy giant Gazprom has said it would cut flows through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline to Germany to a fifth of capacity from July 27 after already reducing the supply last week to 40 percent.
Gazprom has blamed its latest reduction on needing to halt the operation of a turbine -- a reason dismissed by EU Energy Commissioner Kadri Simson, who called the move "politically motivated."
Russia supplied 40 percent of EU gas before it invaded Ukraine.
News of the latest reduction to Russian supply has driven gas prices higher.
