The Council’s conclusions set political orientations on two Commission communications: The Energy 2020 strategy and the Energy infrastructure priorities. These two communications deal with Europe’s energy challenges including energy supply, energy efficiency and renewable energy.
There was agreement on the need to adopt both a short- and medium-term view as well as a long-term view with regards to energy policy. The long-term has 2050 as a time horizon with regards to renewable energy targets. The short-term priorities include the internal energy market as well as energy efficiency while Europe’s long-term external energy relations came under review. The ministers discussed a wide variety of issues to frame short-, medium- and long-term priorities of the Europe 2020 strategy.
The European Union’s internal energy market is a crucial tool in developing Europe’s energy potential to the full and, in fact, one of the short-term priorities is the timely and full implementation of the energy market legislative package that includes a regulatory framework with regards to the functioning of the internal market. Another priority that is part of the Europe 2020 strategy is the need for cooperation between national regulators.
Energy efficiency plays a key role and the energy ministers called for an early submission of a comprehensive and ambitious new Energy Efficiency Plan. This plan should be developed in line with the indicative 20% energy efficiency target that has been agreed for 2020. This target still takes into considerations national differences. The energy ministers called for the Energy Efficiency Plan to focus on the role of the public sector, including public transport and its infrastructure.
Energy efficiency standards are to be included in public procurement for relevant public buildings and services. The ministers also stated that there should be an ambitious implementation of follow-up legislation under the eco-design and labelling directives in the period 2011-2015. With regards to the eco-design and energy labelling regulations, these will be revised where justified so as to move towards an approach with minimum standards based on recent technological improvements.
The ministers emphasised the need to focus on the integration of the role of consumers in energy-demand management. They also took note of the European Commission’s intention to submit a proposal for the revision of the directive on Energy Taxation. Another proposal is with regards to the monitoring of the development of energy efficiency. There was agreement that this would be more easily achieved if a common, easy and practicable methodology could be developed.
Energy inter-connections are becoming ever more crucial and the EU energy ministers agreed that no member state should be isolated from European gas and electricity networks after 2015. This measure is being taken so that no member state would find its energy security jeopardised by lack of appropriate connections. This measure will help the EU’s member states to further diversify their energy sources.
EU member states import a vast part of their daily energy and the energy ministers agreed that it is crucial to transmit consistent and coordinated messages both from the European Union and member state to supplier, transit and consumer countries. This goes hand in hand with the need for an improved and timely exchange of information between the European Commission and member states with regards to bilateral energy agreements with third countries. Strategic partnerships with key supplier, transit and consumer countries should not be limited to gas and oil issues but also to other areas such as low carbon technologies and energy security. Energy from renewable sources should also form part of the partnerships that the EU forms with other countries. The energy ministers also agreed on the need to facilitate regulatory convergence that would see neighbouring countries adopt EU energy market-related legislation.
Mark De Martino is an Information Executive within MEUSAC