Brussels, 07/09/2010 (Agence Europe) - The question of building a modern and integrated European network was at the centre of the informal Energy Council under the Belgian Presidency on Tuesday 7 September. Ministerial discussions were based on two themes: regulatory shortcomings, which put a brake on market integration and maintain market fragmentation in the absence of sufficient inter-connections (particularly in central and eastern Europe), and sources of funding for energy infrastructure projects. Ministerial discussions are expected to bring a significant contribution to the work of the European Commission on the next legislative package on energy infrastructure. The European commissioner, Günther Oettinger, has promised this package by next spring at the latest. A greater awareness characterises the EU27 with regard to the major challenge of the EU modernising infrastructure in this domain. Paul Magnette, the Belgian minister for energy and president of the Council, stated that “we have had a good discussion on the infrastructure package and its funding. The network in Europe needs updating and modernising because it is very obsolete in some places. Interconnections between national markets need to be strengthened and we need to ensure that renewable energies integrated into the network are compatible. All this will require massive investment. We discussed the appropriate methodologies about how to simplify procedures and we tried to examine where public and private sources of funding can be found”. The commissioner for energy is also determined to meet this huge challenge. Oettinger insisted that “my objective is the implementation over the next 20 years of quality infrastructure, with a sufficiently dense capacity for gas and electricity. I want this infrastructure to be at the same level as that for the common airspace, motorways and railway networks. A lot needs to be done. Renewables and our competition objectives should be taken into account. However, infrastructure is essential if we are to attain our objectives (Ed: climate and energy security)”. (E.H./transl.fl)