Brussels, 03/12/2010 (Agence Europe) - Belgian minister Paul Magnette, the President in office of the Council has said that, in their first exchange of views on Friday 3 December, EU energy ministers gave broad support to the new joint energy strategy to 2020 and to the infrastructure package, both of which were proposed by Energy Commissioner Günther Oettinger at the start of November. The issue will come up again at the Energy Council on 28 February 2011, but will have been discussed beforehand by the first European Council specifically devoted to energy, in Brussels on 4 February. In general terms, ministers acknowledged the importance of ratcheting up efforts on energy efficiency, and of fully applying existing legislation, both on energy efficiency and on the internal energy market. Opinion may be divided over how to support renewable energy but there was clear agreement on the need to strengthen energy capacity and network infrastructure. On this point, ministers backed the priority corridors approach. In terms of funding, they agreed that the market was still the basis though other resources might be considered, for example, through the structural funds, and that the SET Plan must continue to frame innovation and technology. Ministers agreed that, in the external dimension, partnerships with gas and oil supply countries had to be strengthened with the inclusion of renewables and energy savings. (E.H./transl.rt)