Brussels, 28/11/2014 (Agence Europe) - As well as the option of the common purchasing of gas and the increased diversification of gas supply routes by targeting, in particular, Norway, North Africa and the USA, the European Commission is examining the possibility, in its draft strategy for Energy Union (due to be unveiled in early 2015), of legally requiring gas suppliers to build up reserves.
In addition, the Commission is also working on a review of the gas security of supply regulation in order to build up gas storage, gas trading hubs and rational deployment of liquefied natural gas (LNG), according to the initial leaks published this week by German news agency DPA. In its draft document, the Commission also calls for the completion of common interest energy projects to be accelerated and for the realisation of the minimum 10% objective to be boosted for cross-border electric interconnection by 2020.
In all the other areas, the draft strategy largely reflects the proposals put forward by European Commissioner for Energy Union Maros Sefcovic at his hearing before the European Parliament at the end of October. It no longer gives details, however, as to the concrete measures to be taken. The document is a list of diplomatic, political and legislative measures in the energy domain.
The Commission would especially like a reform of the current legislation on eco-design and labelling in order to contribute to reducing energy demand, and it would also like a structural reform of the emissions trading system (ETS) to address carbon leaks. Other texts will be revised, including those on the directives on carbon capture and storage, energy efficiency, renewable energy and fuel quality, but the objective and content of these reviews remain unclear for the moment.
The European Commission would also like new legislative initiatives for sharing the effort of decarbonisation for 2021-2030, and also for carbon savings in transport, which will include a consultation on performance standards for vehicles and a possible alternative fuel target for vehicles using electricity, biofuels or hydrogen.
Over half of the commissioners are involved in this strategy draft, including Miguel Arias Canete (Energy and Climate), Elzbieta Bienkowska (Internal Market, Industry and Entrepreneurship), Margrethe Vestager (Competition), Carlos Moedas (Research, Science and Innovation), Günther Oettinger (Digital Agenda) and Corina Cretu (Regional Policy), as well as High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini. (EH)