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Macron blames high energy prices 'entirely' on the wars; a Czech minister warns of a 'new phase' of the crisis

Three reports from France, Greece and Iran carry three European officials on energy prices on 18 September. They agree prices are high. They differ on what that means, and on who should act. None of the three gives a price.

No photograph was published with any report we hold on this story.
No photograph was published with any report we hold on this story. The mark is Libération’s.
Economy European Union France Czechia Greece

The disagreement. The officials agree that prices are high. They differ on what that means. Libération reports Emmanuel Macron "hammered home" that historically high energy prices are due "entirely to the wars". Shargh reports Czech minister Karel Havlíček saying Europe is "on the threshold of a new phase" of the energy crisis.

The remedy. Efimerida ton Syntakton reports two requests. Macron called on the European Commission for "immediate action" on gas storage at European level. Eurogroup president Kyriakos Pierrakakis asked for faster moves towards energy independence.

Outlet Who Cause given Remedy given
Libération (FR) Macron "entirely" the wars none in the report
Efimerida ton Syntakton (GR) Macron, Pierrakakis none in the report EU gas storage; energy independence
Shargh (IR) Havlíček conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East none in the report

Who is missing. All three reports quote only politicians. None gives a price, a bill or what households pay. Two blame war or conflict. Neither names a party to those wars.

What is not settled. - Each claim rests on a single report. We hold the opening lines only. - We do not know what the Commission was asked to do on storage, or whether it answered. - We do not know what prices the officials mean, or for whom. - We do not hold a report from the Commission itself.

What this is about. European leaders say energy will stay expensive. They are arguing about why, and about whether national capitals or the EU should respond.

How it got here. For years much of Europe heated homes and ran factories on gas piped from Russia. Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Russian supplies to Europe then fell sharply, and gas and power prices in Europe rose to record levels in 2022. Governments spent heavily to shield households and industry.

The EU responded in 2022. It passed a law requiring member states to fill their gas storage before each winter. It later set up a scheme for countries to buy gas jointly. Storage itself stayed national: each country holds and manages its own. Europe turned to liquefied gas shipped by sea, including from the United States and Qatar. That ties European prices to supply routes through the Middle East, where conflict has run since the war in Gaza that followed the attacks of 7 October 2023.

The actors. - Emmanuel Macron is president of France. His second and final term ends in 2027. Libération places his remarks after a meeting with party leaders and candidates to succeed him. - The European Commission is the EU's executive. It proposes EU law, including on energy. - Kyriakos Pierrakakis is Greece's finance minister and president of the Eurogroup, the meeting of euro-area finance ministers. - Karel Havlíček is, per Shargh, the Czech first deputy prime minister and minister of industry and trade.

What is at stake. If storage moves to EU level, Brussels gains a say over a stock that capitals now control. If the cause is the wars alone, the answer lies in diplomacy more than in energy policy. Households and industry pay either way.

Where it stands. On 18 September the three officials spoke in different places. We hold no reply from the Commission.

What is being argued about

  • Whether Europe's high energy prices are due entirely to the wars
  • Whether gas storage should be organised at EU level rather than by each country
  • Whether Europe is entering a new phase of its energy crisis
  • Who pays: no report gives a price or a household bill
Three reports, three officials, one daySide by side
OutletOfficialWhat the report saysCause or remedy
LibérationEmmanuel MacronHistorically high energy prices are due "entirely to the wars"Cause: the wars
Efimerida ton SyntaktonEmmanuel MacronCalled on the Commission for immediate action on gas storage at European levelRemedy: EU gas storage
Efimerida ton SyntaktonKyriakos PierrakakisAsked for faster moves towards greater energy independenceRemedy: energy independence
SharghKarel HavlíčekEurope is on the threshold of a new phase of the energy crisisCause: conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East
Each outlet's own words, translated. We hold only the opening lines of each report.
Sources L Libération
Left estimate · not a score
Libération 🇫🇷FR · digital · Face aux candidats à sa succession, Emmanuel Macron à cor et crises internationales et nationales Open this report in The AI Times → Read it at Libération → What we have measured Accuracy of office Calls him mayor of the département, not the town. ×1Actor label The Houthis are called 'rebels' in the report's own voice. ×1Admission and denial split Separates what the MEP admits (removing the flag) from what she denies (trampling it). ×1Affiliation named links her to a French channel ×1 from 4074 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times → Efimerida ton Syntakton
Left estimate · not a score
Efimerida ton Syntakton 🇬🇷GR · newspaper · independent Η ενεργειακή κρίση τρομάζει την Ευρώπη: Οι παραδοχές Πιερρακάκη, οι πιέσεις Μακρόν και τα στρατηγικά αποθέματα Open this report in The AI Times → Read it at Efimerida ton Syntakton → What we have measured Adjective without figure Calls the war bloody but gives no count ×1Anyone hurt named the only report we hold that names one of the dead ×1Anyone hurt named the only report we hold that names a person who died ×1Asserted not attributed Calls the move 'unprecedented' in its own voice ×1 from 8180 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times → Shargh
Centre-left estimate · not a score
Shargh 🇮🇷IR · newspaper · independent چک: اروپا در آستانه ورود به مرحله جدید بحران انرژی Open this report in The AI Times → Read it at Shargh → What we have measured A count with its base both days given, and the data called preliminary ×1Actor named as a state the attack is Yemen's, not the Houthis' ×1A different actor does the asking Pakistan's army chief, not Beijing, is the one asking Tehran to use its influence, on the word of unnamed Pakistani government sources. ×1'aggression' in the narration The US campaign is called aggression in the report's own narration, which it credits to Al-Ahram's account of the call. ×1 from 10199 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times →
What the three reports carryChart
A count of what the reports contain, not a rating of any outlet.
Sources L Libération
Left estimate · not a score
Libération 🇫🇷FR · digital · Face aux candidats à sa succession, Emmanuel Macron à cor et crises internationales et nationales Open this report in The AI Times → Read it at Libération → What we have measured Accuracy of office Calls him mayor of the département, not the town. ×1Actor label The Houthis are called 'rebels' in the report's own voice. ×1Admission and denial split Separates what the MEP admits (removing the flag) from what she denies (trampling it). ×1Affiliation named links her to a French channel ×1 from 4074 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times → Efimerida ton Syntakton
Left estimate · not a score
Efimerida ton Syntakton 🇬🇷GR · newspaper · independent Η ενεργειακή κρίση τρομάζει την Ευρώπη: Οι παραδοχές Πιερρακάκη, οι πιέσεις Μακρόν και τα στρατηγικά αποθέματα Open this report in The AI Times → Read it at Efimerida ton Syntakton → What we have measured Adjective without figure Calls the war bloody but gives no count ×1Anyone hurt named the only report we hold that names one of the dead ×1Anyone hurt named the only report we hold that names a person who died ×1Asserted not attributed Calls the move 'unprecedented' in its own voice ×1 from 8180 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times → Shargh
Centre-left estimate · not a score
Shargh 🇮🇷IR · newspaper · independent چک: اروپا در آستانه ورود به مرحله جدید بحران انرژی Open this report in The AI Times → Read it at Shargh → What we have measured A count with its base both days given, and the data called preliminary ×1Actor named as a state the attack is Yemen's, not the Houthis' ×1A different actor does the asking Pakistan's army chief, not Beijing, is the one asking Tehran to use its influence, on the word of unnamed Pakistani government sources. ×1'aggression' in the narration The US campaign is called aggression in the report's own narration, which it credits to Al-Ahram's account of the call. ×1 from 10199 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times →
The bias in this coverageBias

The causes come from politicians

All three reports carry the causes of the crisis in officials' own words. Two point to war or conflict. None names a party to those wars.

2 reports attributing the cause to war or conflict 0 reports naming a party to the conflicts

No household, no price

The officials quoted are a president, a Eurogroup president and a minister. No report gives an energy price or says what households pay.

0 reports giving an energy price figure 0 reports quoting a consumer or household
Scored without the mastheads. Where the two passes differ, both are kept.
Sources L Libération
Left estimate · not a score
Libération 🇫🇷FR · digital · Face aux candidats à sa succession, Emmanuel Macron à cor et crises internationales et nationales Open this report in The AI Times → Read it at Libération → What we have measured Accuracy of office Calls him mayor of the département, not the town. ×1Actor label The Houthis are called 'rebels' in the report's own voice. ×1Admission and denial split Separates what the MEP admits (removing the flag) from what she denies (trampling it). ×1Affiliation named links her to a French channel ×1 from 4074 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times → Efimerida ton Syntakton
Left estimate · not a score
Efimerida ton Syntakton 🇬🇷GR · newspaper · independent Η ενεργειακή κρίση τρομάζει την Ευρώπη: Οι παραδοχές Πιερρακάκη, οι πιέσεις Μακρόν και τα στρατηγικά αποθέματα Open this report in The AI Times → Read it at Efimerida ton Syntakton → What we have measured Adjective without figure Calls the war bloody but gives no count ×1Anyone hurt named the only report we hold that names one of the dead ×1Anyone hurt named the only report we hold that names a person who died ×1Asserted not attributed Calls the move 'unprecedented' in its own voice ×1 from 8180 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times → Shargh
Centre-left estimate · not a score
Shargh 🇮🇷IR · newspaper · independent چک: اروپا در آستانه ورود به مرحله جدید بحران انرژی Open this report in The AI Times → Read it at Shargh → What we have measured A count with its base both days given, and the data called preliminary ×1Actor named as a state the attack is Yemen's, not the Houthis' ×1A different actor does the asking Pakistan's army chief, not Beijing, is the one asking Tehran to use its influence, on the word of unnamed Pakistani government sources. ×1'aggression' in the narration The US campaign is called aggression in the report's own narration, which it credits to Al-Ahram's account of the call. ×1 from 10199 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times →

Claims and verdicts

unverified Macron said Europe's historically high energy prices are 'entirely' due to wars.
Only Libération carries the quote. Efimerida ton Syntakton reports Macron pressing the Commission on gas storage but does not carry this line.
Checked against 2 sources:
L Libération
Left estimate · not a score
Libération 🇫🇷FR · digital · Face aux candidats à sa succession, Emmanuel Macron à cor et crises internationales et nationales Open this report in The AI Times → Read it at Libération → What we have measured Accuracy of office Calls him mayor of the département, not the town. ×1Actor label The Houthis are called 'rebels' in the report's own voice. ×1Admission and denial split Separates what the MEP admits (removing the flag) from what she denies (trampling it). ×1Affiliation named links her to a French channel ×1 from 4074 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times → Efimerida ton Syntakton
Left estimate · not a score
Efimerida ton Syntakton 🇬🇷GR · newspaper · independent Η ενεργειακή κρίση τρομάζει την Ευρώπη: Οι παραδοχές Πιερρακάκη, οι πιέσεις Μακρόν και τα στρατηγικά αποθέματα Open this report in The AI Times → Read it at Efimerida ton Syntakton → What we have measured Adjective without figure Calls the war bloody but gives no count ×1Anyone hurt named the only report we hold that names one of the dead ×1Anyone hurt named the only report we hold that names a person who died ×1Asserted not attributed Calls the move 'unprecedented' in its own voice ×1 from 8180 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times →
unverified Macron called on the European Commission to act now on EU-level gas storage.
Only Efimerida ton Syntakton reports this, in its summary. No other report we hold mentions the request.
Checked against 1 source:
Efimerida ton Syntakton
Left estimate · not a score
Efimerida ton Syntakton 🇬🇷GR · newspaper · independent Η ενεργειακή κρίση τρομάζει την Ευρώπη: Οι παραδοχές Πιερρακάκη, οι πιέσεις Μακρόν και τα στρατηγικά αποθέματα Open this report in The AI Times → Read it at Efimerida ton Syntakton → What we have measured Adjective without figure Calls the war bloody but gives no count ×1Anyone hurt named the only report we hold that names one of the dead ×1Anyone hurt named the only report we hold that names a person who died ×1Asserted not attributed Calls the move 'unprecedented' in its own voice ×1 from 8180 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times →
unverified Czech deputy prime minister Karel Havlíček said Europe is about to enter a new phase of the energy crisis.
Only Shargh reports the remark, which it links to the conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East. No other report we hold carries it.
Checked against 1 source:
Shargh
Centre-left estimate · not a score
Shargh 🇮🇷IR · newspaper · independent چک: اروپا در آستانه ورود به مرحله جدید بحران انرژی Open this report in The AI Times → Read it at Shargh → What we have measured A count with its base both days given, and the data called preliminary ×1Actor named as a state the attack is Yemen's, not the Houthis' ×1A different actor does the asking Pakistan's army chief, not Beijing, is the one asking Tehran to use its influence, on the word of unnamed Pakistani government sources. ×1'aggression' in the narration The US campaign is called aggression in the report's own narration, which it credits to Al-Ahram's account of the call. ×1 from 10199 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times →

Who wrote it

V Victor Boiteau Libération
What the bias passes found in their reporting
Asserted vs attributed Attributes the cause to Macron and quotes his word 'entirely'×1
Attribution Macron's claim that the wars are the whole cause is quoted and attributed, not adopted.×1
Evaluative language The report's own words call his assessment dark.×1
Evaluative word The government's answers are called 'timid', with no one quoted saying so.×1
Claims we checked that rest on their reporting
1 unverified
From 32 reports we hold under this byline, at Libération. Two independent readings, each made without the masthead, a quote attached to every tag. A record, never a rating. Their full record →
The bylines on the reports this story is built from. Hover one for what our passes have measured on their reporting. · 2 reports we hold carry no byline — we do not invent one.

Coverage, outlet by outlet

Shargh
Centre-left estimate · not a score
Shargh 🇮🇷IR · newspaper · independent چک: اروپا در آستانه ورود به مرحله جدید بحران انرژی Open this report in The AI Times → Read it at Shargh → What we have measured A count with its base both days given, and the data called preliminary ×1Actor named as a state the attack is Yemen's, not the Houthis' ×1A different actor does the asking Pakistan's army chief, not Beijing, is the one asking Tehran to use its influence, on the word of unnamed Pakistani government sources. ×1'aggression' in the narration The US campaign is called aggression in the report's own narration, which it credits to Al-Ahram's account of the call. ×1 from 10199 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times → — independent
The only report of Havlíček's warning of a "new phase" of the crisis, which it links to the conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East.
جهان ۲۷ شهریور ۱۴۰۵ ۲۱:۵۱ چک: اروپا در آستانه ورود به مرحله جدید بحران انرژی «کارل هاولیچک» معاون اول نخست‌وزیر و وزیر صنعت و تجارت جمهوری چک در اظهاراتی با اشاره به افزایش قیمت انرژی در پی درگیری‌ها در اوکراین و خاورمیانه، تاکید کرد که اروپا در آستانه ورود به مرحله جدیدی از بحران انرژی است. به گزارش گروه رسانه‌ای شرق، هاولیچک در جریان سخنرانی خود در کنفرانس بین‌المللی امنیت انرژی در دانشگاه اقتصاد و کسب‌وکار پراگ، گفت: ما در حال ورود به مرحله بعدی بحران انرژی هستیم؛ مرحله‌ای که کشورهای مرکز قاره اروپا را به شدت تحت تاثیر قرار خواهد داد. وی افزود: در حال حاضر، این وضعیت تاثیر عمده‌ای بر مصرف‌ک
No actor named: Price rises are put down to 'conflicts' in Ukraine and the Middle East, with no party named. — “با اشاره به افزایش قیمت انرژی در پی درگیری‌ها در اوکراین و خاورمیانه”
Attribution: The headline gives one minister's warning as the view of 'Czechia'. — “چک: اروپا در آستانه ورود به مرحله جدید بحران انرژی”
No actor named: Blames price rises on 'conflicts' in Ukraine and the Middle East and names no party — “در پی درگیری‌ها در اوکراین و خاورمیانه”
Asserted vs attributed: The 'new phase' of the crisis is attributed to a Czech minister — “اروپا در آستانه ورود به مرحله جدیدی از بحران انرژی است”
Read it at Shargh → https://www.sharghdaily.com/fa/tiny/news-1128893
Efimerida ton Syntakton
Left estimate · not a score
Efimerida ton Syntakton 🇬🇷GR · newspaper · independent Η ενεργειακή κρίση τρομάζει την Ευρώπη: Οι παραδοχές Πιερρακάκη, οι πιέσεις Μακρόν και τα στρατηγικά αποθέματα Open this report in The AI Times → Read it at Efimerida ton Syntakton → What we have measured Adjective without figure Calls the war bloody but gives no count ×1Anyone hurt named the only report we hold that names one of the dead ×1Anyone hurt named the only report we hold that names a person who died ×1Asserted not attributed Calls the move 'unprecedented' in its own voice ×1 from 8180 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times → — independent
The only report of Macron asking the Commission for immediate action on EU-level gas storage, and of Pierrakakis asking for faster energy independence.
ΔΙΕΘΝΗΣ ΟΙΚΟΝΟΜΙΑ Η ενεργειακή κρίση τρομάζει την Ευρώπη: Οι παραδοχές Πιερρακάκη, οι πιέσεις Μακρόν και τα στρατηγικά αποθέματα Επιτάχυνση της ευρωπαϊκής πορείας προς μια μεγαλύτερη ενεργειακή ανεξαρτησία, ζήτησε ο πρόεδρος του Eurogroup - Σε άμεσες ενέργειες κάλεσε ο Μακρόν την Κομισιόν για αποθήκευση φυσικού αερίου σε ευρωπαϊκό επίπεδο. 18 Σεπτεμβρίου 2026, 21:08 efsyn.gr Μοιράσου στο facebook Μοιράσου στο twitter Μοιράσου στο bluesky Μοιράσου στο linkedin Μοιράσου στο whatsapp αποστολή με email αντιγραφή συνδέσμου Ανακαλύψτε περισσότερα άρθρα στα αποτελέσματα αναζήτησης Προσθήκη του efsyn.
Headline beyond body: The headline says the crisis 'frightens Europe'. The lede carries only officials' requests. — “Η ενεργειακή κρίση τρομάζει την Ευρώπη”
Who is named as acting: Names Macron calling on the Commission to store gas at European level. — “Σε άμεσες ενέργειες κάλεσε ο Μακρόν την Κομισιόν για αποθήκευση φυσικού αερίου σε ευρωπαϊκό επίπεδο”
Asserted vs attributed: States in its own voice that the crisis 'frightens Europe' — “Η ενεργειακή κρίση τρομάζει την Ευρώπη”
Who is named as acting: Macron is named as calling on the Commission; the Commission is only acted upon — “Σε άμεσες ενέργειες κάλεσε ο Μακρόν την Κομισιόν”
Read it at Efimerida ton Syntakton → https://www.efsyn.gr/oikonomia/1470085/i-energeiaki-krisi-tromazei-tin-…
L Libération
Left estimate · not a score
Libération 🇫🇷FR · digital · Face aux candidats à sa succession, Emmanuel Macron à cor et crises internationales et nationales Open this report in The AI Times → Read it at Libération → What we have measured Accuracy of office Calls him mayor of the département, not the town. ×1Actor label The Houthis are called 'rebels' in the report's own voice. ×1Admission and denial split Separates what the MEP admits (removing the flag) from what she denies (trampling it). ×1Affiliation named links her to a French channel ×1 from 4074 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times → —
The only report carrying Macron's claim that high energy prices are due "entirely to the wars", made after he met candidates to succeed him.
Lors d’une réunion à l’Elysée avec des représentants de partis politiques vendredi 18 septembre, le chef de l’Etat a voulu convaincre que les prix historiquement hauts de l’énergie étaient dus «intégralement aux guerres».
Attribution: Macron's claim that the wars are the whole cause is quoted and attributed, not adopted. — “a martelé que les prix historiquement hauts de l’énergie étaient dus «intégralement aux guerres»”
Evaluative language: The report's own words call his assessment dark. — “a dressé un sombre tableau”
Asserted vs attributed: Attributes the cause to Macron and quotes his word 'entirely' — “étaient dus «intégralement aux guerres»”
Framing verb: Describes Macron as 'hammering' the point, which colours his claim — “a martelé”
Read it at Libération → https://www.liberation.fr/politique/face-aux-candidats-a-sa-succession-…

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