Energy minister Claude Turmes has said there should be an EU-wide speed limit and work from home policy to save petrol Photo: Romain Gamba / Maison Moderne

Energy minister Claude Turmes has said there should be an EU-wide speed limit and work from home policy to save petrol Photo: Romain Gamba / Maison Moderne

Luxembourg energy minister Claude Turmes has proposed that employees across the EU should be allowed to work two days from home to help save petrol, as well as reducing the speed limit on motorways.

The EU is looking at ways to wean itself off Russian fuels, with a coal embargo already in place and a ban on oil by the end of the year proposed as part of a sixth sanctions package.

“What we need at EU level is an EU-wide coordinated speed limit and two days of working from home a week,” Turmes (déi Gréng) told German news agency DPA. Together with car-free weekends in Europe’s biggest cities, this could help save 2.5m barrels of oil, he said.

“I urge the commission not to miss the opportunity to get Europe on this path,” Turmes told DPA.

The commission on Wednesday is expected to present a plan on how to exit Russian fossil fuels. Draft documents include an increase in renewable energies. Under current plans, 40% of energy should come from renewables by 2030. This target is set to be upped to 45%.

By end of the century, energy consumption should go down by 13%, also a more ambitious target than the current 9%.

Investments worth €195bn will be needed by 2027 to exit Russian fossil fuels, according to the EU documents seen by DPA. This in addition to funds already foreseen in the commission’s Fit 4 55 programme, which aims a 55% reduction in emissions by 2030.

There is no right to work from home in Luxembourg and employees must agree on the practice with their employer, although businesses with more than 150 staff must with delegations on their work from home policy.