German Economy Minister Robert Habeck called for EU-wide joint gas purchases to bring down prices as he arrived at a meeting in Brussels. The European Union should use its “market power wisely” and “act in a coordinated way” when purchasing gas from third countries, Habeck said. “We are no longer in a situation that can be used for blackmailing,” Habeck said, as many EU countries managed to sufficiently fill their gas storage capacities in recent weeks. The EU would need to talk to “friendly countries Norway, the USA, Algeria” on how the bloc could purchase gas more cheaply. Habeck also expres…