Brussels, 03/03/2015 (Agence Europe) - The strategic framework for the Energy Union, unveiled by the European Commission on 25 February, and the energy infrastructure will be the focus of debates at the first formal session of the Council for European energy ministers under the Latvian presidency in Brussels on Thursday 5 March. The Latvian economy minister, Dana Reizniece-Ozola, will chair the meeting and it will be attended by European Commission Vice-President for Energy Union Maros Sefcovic and European Commissioner for Climate Action and Energy Miguel Arias Canete.
Energy Union. The ministers will hold a first exchange of views on the strategic framework for building an Energy Union - a framework that was proposed by the Commission last week (see EUROPE 11262) - building on the results of the Riga conference on 6 February, which launched the Riga process (see EUROPE 11248). The ministers are expected to give their opinion on three issues selected by the Presidency to structure the debate: - the main lines of action to develop and advance the concept of energy union further; - the aspects of sustainability, competitiveness and security of supply that should be addressed urgently; - and the dimension of the project for an Energy Union that have potential for regional cooperation.
The general aim of the strategic framework is to provide consumers with secure, sustainable, competitive and affordable energy (while addressing the existing challenges in the energy sector) and to contribute to the attainment of the 2030 goals on climate and energy. The framework has been developed around five main areas: (1) energy security, solidarity and trust; (2) the internal energy market; (3) moderation of energy demand; (4) decarbonisation of the economy; and (5) research, innovation and competitiveness. It also includes a chapter on governance.
On 6 March, the European environment ministers will focus on the aspects of the framework linked to the fight against climate change and decarbonisation of the economy. The Latvian Presidency intends to summarise the debates from these two Council meetings in a single letter for the spring European Council on 19-20 March.
Infrastructure. The ministers will hold a policy debate on the development and priorities for energy infrastructure, in the light of the communication on attaining the minimum 10% target of cross-border electricity interconnection by 2020 - a communication that was presented as part of the Energy Union package (see EUROPE 11261). The ministers will be asked to give their opinion on three issues selected by the Presidency to structure the debate: - the key measures for promoting implementation of an interconnected cross-border energy market in order to put an end to the energy isolation of certain member states; - the contribution of regional cooperation to facilitating attainment of the minimum 10% interconnection target; - the role of European funds (the European Fund for Strategic Investments - EFSI - and the Connecting Europe Facility - CEF) and the Energy Union strategy for improving the investment climate in the energy sector.
Other business. The Commission will inform the Council of the situation on energy security, and the Czech delegation will brief the Council on the tenth plenary meeting of the European nuclear energy forum which will take place in Prague on 26-27 May. (Emmanuel Hagry)