Brussels, 13/02/2012 (Agence Europe) - The first formal Energy Council session under Danish presidency, on Tuesday 14 February, will be devoted to energy infrastructure and efficiency.
Infrastructure. The Council will hold a policy debate on the draft regulation relating to guidelines for trans-European energy infrastructure. Ministers are to examine the aspects of the proposal with regard to regional groups, a theme linked to project selection, and regulatory measures. The regulation on the table aims to stimulate investment needed for the modernisation and strengthening of EU energy infrastructure to ensure energy supply security and complete the internal energy market, while contributing to the transition to a low carbon economy. The proposal would give priority to 12 strategic trans-European energy corridors and areas and, in particular, address the selection of projects of common interest, the streamlining of authorisation procedures and cost-allocation rules. The Commission presented a proposal on this in October 2011 (see EUROPE 10475 and 10477). EU funding relating to this regulation is to be negotiated in the context of a financial instrument, the “Connecting Europe Facility”, which relates to the next multiannual financial framework (2014-2020), and which aims to increase private capital to co-finance the missing links in connections between the major European infrastructure for transport, energy and telecommunications, by way of a single €40 billion fund, of which €9.1 billion would be for energy.
Energy efficiency. Before lunch, the Danish Presidency will brief the Council on progress made in talks relating to the directive on energy efficiency, by way of introduction to an informal working lunch discussion on energy efficiency.
EUROPE 2020 strategy. With a view to the European Council in March, the Energy Council will discuss its contribution to the European semester, the cycle of economic policy coordination under the EUROPE 2020 strategy for jobs and growth. (EH/transl.jl)