Members of the European Union must be ready to block crypto mining, the European Commission, the bloc's executive arm responsible for introducing new legislation, said Tuesday as the region prepares for an uncertain winter.

“In case, there is a need for load shedding in the electricity systems, the [EU] member states must also be ready to stop crypto-assets mining,” the commission said in a document published Tuesday. Load shedding is when energy companies deliberately switch off supply to a certain set of users to avoid the entire grid toppling.

In the long term, “it is also crucial to put an end to tax breaks and other fiscal measures benefitting crypto miners currently in force in certain member states,” the commission said.