Brussels, 20/07/2015 (Agence Europe) - EU foreign affairs ministers, meeting in Luxembourg on Monday 20 July, adopted an energy diplomacy action plan for the EU.
This plan, which will support the strategy brought forward by the Commission in February to build an energy union, seeks to ensure the consistency of EU energy policy on the international stage. Consistency with EU climate diplomacy will also be thus achieved.
Follow-up of the action plan will be ensured by EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Federica Mogherini “in close consultation and coordination” with the member states.
The energy diplomacy action plan has four key objectives: - to strengthen strategic guidance through regular high-level engagement; - to establish and further develop energy cooperation and dialogues; - to support efforts to enhance the global energy architecture and multilateral initiatives; - to strengthen common messages and energy diplomacy capacities.
To strengthen the diversification of EU energy sources, supplies and routes, the Council says diplomatic support should focus on the Southern Gas Corridor, the Southern Caucasus and Central Asia; the strategic potential of the Eastern-Mediterranean region; the Euro-Mediterranean energy cooperation in the Southern Neighbourhood; the wider Middle East region; new energy sources in the Americas, Africa and Australia, including the potential of liquefied natural gas (LNG).
On energy partnerships and dialogues, the Council says that foreign policy instruments and “channels for engagement” should be used to “open up opportunities for cooperation” with increasingly important producing and transit countries particularly in the EU's neighbourhood. This includes the need to ensure, in line with the ongoing trilateral talks, the long-term energy supplies to and transit through Ukraine and to further strengthen the Energy Community.
The Council argues, too, for closer ties with key partners, such as the US, Norway and Canada as well as other major interlocutors, notably China, India and Brazil.
It also says that, “when the conditions are proper”, the EU will proceed in reframing the energy relationship with Russia, based on a level playing field in terms of market opening, fair competition, environmental protection and safety. (Emmanuel Hagry)