Brussels, 18/11/2015 (Agence Europe) - As part of an initial State of the Energy Union unveiled on Wednesday 18 November, the European Commission expressed its determination to introduce a legislative and action framework by the end of 2016, in an effort to attain the objectives included in this huge project, which seeks to guarantee the EU's energy security and its transition to a low carbon economy.
Nine months after having put a strategic framework for the Juncker Commission's flagship project on the table (see EUROPE 11262), the Vice-President for the Energy Union, Maroš Šefèoviè, presented a progress report on Wednesday. This report includes a number of documents in annex and draws up a balance sheet of the accomplishments since February. It also draws a number of policy conclusions at regional, national and European levels, as well as a programme for what action should be followed in 2016.
Šefèoviè informed the press that “we are on the right track to make the Energy Union a reality”. He highlighted four guidelines that would help orientate the Commission's action programme in 2016: continuation of the EU's transition to a low carbon energy-based economy; ensure that this transition is fair and focused on consumers; examine the geopolitical problems related to the EU's energy supply security; develop the foundations for a solid system of governance to help the EU attain its energy and climate targets in the long term.
In the area of energy transition and ahead of the forthcoming UN Climate Conference (COP 21), the Commission announced that it intended to present proposals before summer 2016 for reducing the EU's carbon emissions by 30% outside the Emissions Trading System (ETS) and by particularly tackling this question in the context of the transport sector. After this summer, it will put a number of legislative proposals on the table to help the EU attain its targets by 2030 on renewable energies and energy efficiency.
In relation to its second orientation (socially fair transition), the Commission will present legislation in spring 2016 to improve the way in which the electricity market operates.
At a geopolitical level, 2015 was characterised by persistent tension between Russia and Ukraine and a fall in oil prices, as well as the repercussions on the whole of the world's energy markets. The Commission is promising to carefully examine new gas infrastructure projects and the new prospects that have developed by way of the agreement with Iran on nuclear power.
On the issue of governance, the Commission is promising to work towards developing a robust system, on the basis of guidelines for integrated national plans on energy and climate published on Wednesday and upon which member states will be obliged to develop their respective plans for 2021-2030.
Some of the documents adopted on Wednesday include: an updated list of Projects of Common Interest for infrastructure (see other article); a progress report on energy efficiency, which indicates that members are still on track for achieving the 20% target by 2020, with an improvement of 17.6% in primary energy savings at this stage; compared to projections for 2020; the Commission remains optimistic that the EU is also on track to meet both the 2020 emissions reduction target of 20%, as well as the Kyoto Protocol targets; the Energy Consumer Trends Document illustrates that electricity and gas markets are still not performing as they should despite progress made; a report on the implementation of the EU Energy Security Strategy; a report on the implementation of the Nuclear Safety Directive, which concludes that there is, in general, a good level of compliance with the 2009 Nuclear Safety Directive; an Oil Stocks Summary; a proposal for a regulation on electricity and natural gas price statistics and a public consultation on the revision of the renewables directive, which will come to a close on 10 February 2016. (Original version in French by Emmanuel Hagry)