Brussels, 20/11/2015 (Agence Europe) - The European Parliament's major political groups gave a somewhat cautious response to the first progress report on the proposal for energy union, presented by the Commission on 18 November. MEPs will hold a plenary session discussion in Strasbourg on 24 November.
On behalf of the EPP Group, Françoise Grossetête (France) stressed the importance for the EU of defending its principles of energy security and diversification of supply so as to reduce external dependence, particularly with regard to Russian gas, repeating the concerns over the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project. Grossetête also highlighted the need for better governance in the areas of energy and climate, a better organised electricity market and increased regional cooperation.
Speaking for the S&D Group, Belgian MEP Kathleen Van Brempt argued for greater coordination of effort in transition to a sustainable energy model and to guarantee affordable energy for citizens and businesses. She called for a specific communication on energy poverty accompanied by an action plan. Matthias Groote (Germany) stressed the need for a robust system of governance and for binding energy efficiency objectives.
Ian Duncan (UK), speaking for the ECR, gave a cautious welcome to the progress report, noting with pleasure, however, that the list of key infrastructure projects includes interconnection projects linking the United Kingdom with Ireland, France and Belgium, and that the UK's efforts on energy poverty had been recognised. “The focus on infrastructure investment to create a free market in energy is welcome. However, there remains a lot more to be done to bring down regulatory barriers if we are to deliver cheap, clean energy to consumers across Europe”, he stated.
For the ALDE Group, Morten Helveg Petersen (Denmark) called on member states to do more to reduce dependence on fossil fuels and to decarbonise the economy. “In many areas national governments are failing to deliver on their own agreed objectives, leaving Europe vulnerable to external pressures on our gas supplies, and lagging behind on our climate change responsibilities”, he commented, arguing for “integrated solutions” to get more renewables into the energy mix, cut the EU's carbon footprint and use scarce energy supplies in the most efficient ways possible.
Greens/EFA MEP Claude Turmes (Luxembourg) said he was encouraged by the Commission's “clearer than expected” stance on ending subsidies to fossil fuels and renewed commitment to a 30% target for energy efficiency by 2030. He feels, however, that the overall picture is “incomplete”. “President Juncker promised to make Europe the 'world number one' on renewable energy but the Commission has failed to outline how to increase the EU's ambition to this end”, he regretted, unhappy at the lack of binding objectives for 2030. (Original version in French by Emmanuel Hagry)