Brussels, 11/09/2013 (Agence Europe) - The major European energy companies are urging the EU's decision-making body and member states to improve policy coordination.
Following an initial formal call at the end of May, a group of nine energy giants, headed by the French company GDF Suez, E.ON from Germany, ENI and Vattenfall from Sweden (together worth more than €600 billion in annual turnover) made another intervention on the sidelines of the European Parliament plenary session on 10 September in Strasbourg. This time, they expressed their concerns to MEPs and Commissioner Oettinger over the current areas of dysfunction (higher bills for end users, the closure of industrial units, the inefficient carbon market) and called for the fragmented national energy policies to be co-ordinated effectively.
Speaking on behalf this group, the chief executive of GDF Suez, Gérard Mestrallet, and his counterpart at ENI, Paolo Scaroni, warned policymakers of the dangers inherent in current European energy policy and highlighted the uncertainties surrounding the viability of their investments due to the legislative framework in place. To rectify this, the group is proposing practical solutions to rebuild European energy policy.
At a supply level, the group recommends that a genuine market of electricity capacity is created, which consists in using all existing electricity capacity rather than subsidies for building new plant. This will be carried out by rationalising support for renewables, reducing subsidies to energy so that they are close to market prices and by prioritising non-mature technologies (offshore wind turbines).
The group of nine is also proposing to relaunch the European electricity coordination group as an exchange platform for energy policy, so that information sharing is ensured on national decisions on energy clusters that could have an effect on other member states.
The group also highlights the need for consumers (individual consumers and businesses) to be able to pay energy at a fair price and is therefore proposing to cap energy bills by completing the internal market integration and implementing the programme on priority infrastructure as soon as possible.
Finally, in terms of climate change, the group is calling for a debate to be held and a decision to be taken as soon as possible on ambitious but realistic climate targets up to 2030. It is proposing to relaunch and strengthen the European carbon trading market and introduce additional measures that guarantee European industry's competitiveness, against the danger of carbon leakage if an international agreement is not concluded. (EH/transl.fl)