BRUSSELS, April 3. /TASS/. Europe must prepare for a "long-lasting" energy shock, and fuel rationing and the release of more oil from emergency reserves may be necessary, European Commissioner for Energy and Housing Dan Jorgensen told the Financial Times (FT) newspaper, adding that Brussels is developing plans to overcome "structural, long-lasting effects" of the Middle East conflict.

The EU is assessing "all possibilities" as it braces for a "long-lasting" energy shock from the Middle East war, according to Jorgensen. This includes "preparing for the worst scenarios," even if the bloc was "not there yet" on needing to impose rationing of critical products such as jet fuel or diesel. "Better to be prepared than to be sorry," he said.

The situation with some more "critical" products may "be even worse in the weeks to come," the official warned. "We are looking at all possibilities and it’s clear the more serious the situation gets, the more of course we will also have to look into legislative tools," he said.