Brussels, 07/06/2011 (Agence Europe) - The second session of the Energy Council under Hungarian presidency in Luxembourg on 10 June, with Tamás Fellegi in the chair, will assess the state of progress of work on the draft regulation on the integrity and transparency of energy markets. Discussion will also be on investment in the EU's energy infrastructure and conclusions on energy efficiency will be adopted in relation to the revised action plan for 2020. The nuclear option will also be a focus of work with regard to safety and stress tests in the light of the Fukushima accident but also regarding the consequences of giving up nuclear power, which Germany has scheduled for 2022. This question is not on the agenda and could be discussed at the request of France, in particular.
Nuclear safety. The Commission will report to the Council on the state of progress and on steps to be followed in the process for assessing nuclear safety risks in working reactors in the EU in the light of the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi power plan in Japan on 11 March. The European Nuclear Safety Regulators' Group (ENSREG) and the Commission reached an agreement on 24 May on the scope and modalities of stress testing on nuclear reactors in the EU which should, at the request of the European Council on 25 March, be carried out by the end of the year (EUROPE 10386).
Market integrity and transparency. During a public debate, the Council will note a progress report on work on the draft regulation on energy market integrity and transparency, tabled by the Commission in December. This is aimed at preventing the manipulation of rates and insider dealing on the wholesale markets (see EUROPE 10273). The text proposed establishes a framework for oversight of the wholesale markets, the central element being the creation of a market surveillance mechanism right across Europe, a role that should be played by the Agency for the Cooperation of European Regulators (ACER). In order to answer the European Council's request calling, on 25 March, for the adoption of this text as swiftly as possible, the Presidency plans to step up its efforts to reach an agreement by the end of its term of office. Negotiations with the European Parliament, which defined its position in committee on 27 May calling for minimum sanctions against operators that breach the rules (see EUROPE 10387), will begin on 16 June with a view to an agreement in first reading by 30 June.
Energy efficiency. The Council is expected to adopt conclusions on the revised action plan on energy efficiency by 2020, which will welcome the communication presented in March by the Commission (see EUROPE 10331) with a view to a proposal for a directive on energy efficiency, due in June. The Council conclusions will place emphasis on five priority areas of action, namely the public sector, buildings, industry and the energy sector, transport and consumer awareness.
2050 roadmap. The Presidency will ensure follow-up to discussion at the informal sitting of the Energy Council on 2-3 May in Gödollõ, devoted to the energy roadmap ahead of 2020, that the European Commission is to present by the end the year. The 2050 roadmap must contribute to the debate on the 2011-2020 energy strategy by focusing on the initiatives and instruments that the EU should acquire by 2050 in order to ensure the EU's transition to a less energy intensive and less carbon intensive economy. A summary of the Gödollõ discussions is available in the Council document 1072/11.
Infrastructure. During lunch, the Commission will brief the Council on the dossier relating to the modernisation and development of EU energy infrastructure ahead of 2020 and 2030. In the light of the detailed plan proposed mid-November by the Commission, the European Council has invited the European executive to report, in June, on amounts needed for investment and to present suggestions on ways to finance such investment while overcoming the possible obstacles (the Commission report will be available as 11056/11). A legislative proposal from the Commission is expected in October. (E.H./transl.jl)