Brussels, 24/11/2014 (Agence Europe) - European Commission Vice-President with responsibility for the energy union Maros Sefcovic will bring forward his proposals for the energy union towards the end of January 2015, he confirmed on the sidelines of an energy seminar in Kosice on Friday 21 November.
The proposals will then be discussed at the Council meeting of European energy ministers in early March, with, ideally, approval by the spring European Council at the end of March. The aim is to have an action plan and clear priorities for energy infrastructure, Sefcovic said.
“It is essential for the energy union to be up and running. I'm not saying that by March I'll put in place a whole new energy policy but that a construct will be there that will, step by step, enable the energy union project to be turned into reality”, Sefcovic is reported by Slovakian press as saying.
The commissioner said on 17 November that he was looking carefully at the possibility of moving progressively to joint purchasing of gas (see EUROPE 11199). As part of its energy security strategy, presented in May, the Commission is exploring this issue. It favours a voluntary arrangement among member states rather than one that is legally binding. (EH)