Member States’ Energy Ministers agreed, on Tuesday 28 April, in an informal meeting by videoconference (see EUROPE 12475/6), on the important role of energy transition, and more broadly of the European Green Deal, in order to relaunch the economy of the European Union in a sustainable way once the health emergency of Covid-19 is over. The Croatian Presidency of the EU Council will now work on drawing up conclusions along these lines, with a view to the formal meeting of ministers on 15 June.
“Today's Council has sent a strong message that delivering a clean energy future must be at the heart of Europe's recovery from the crisis”, welcomed Energy Commissioner Kadri Simson.
In addition, the majority of ministers asked the European Commission to continue its work on the initiatives planned in the framework of the Green Deal, in particular the strategy for smart sector integration, the offshore wind strategy and the renovation wave initiative, said the Croatian Minister of Environment and Energy, Tomislav Ćorić, at a press conference after the meeting.
While the presentations of the first two initiatives - scheduled for the end of June and October respectively - are expected to be postponed due to Covid-19 (see EUROPE 12467/23), the plan for the renovation wave in Europe will be presented in September, Ms Simson said.
In order to clarify its timetable, the Commission should publish a revised version of its work programme in the coming weeks.
ETS. According to information collected by EUROPE, several Member States also referred to the document of the French authorities suggesting a strengthening of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS) (see EUROPE 12475/6). In addition to France, five countries (the Netherlands, Denmark, Luxembourg, Austria and Greece) in particular called for a strengthening of the ETS, with three of them (the Netherlands, Luxembourg and Austria) supporting France's proposal for a carbon floor price.
Asked about the issue of carbon pricing, Mr Ćorić said that he expected this topic to be further discussed “in the upcoming period”.
NECPs. Concerning the National Energy and Climate Plans (NECPs), Mr Ćorić said it was unrealistic to imagine discussing their assessments by the Commission at the next meeting of ministers, given that four Member States (Germany, Ireland, Luxembourg and Romania) have still not submitted their plans to the institution.
A resilient energy system. Finally, Member States and the Commissioner welcomed overall the resilience of the European energy system, noting that there is currently no risk of disruption to the EU's energy supply systems. (Original version in French by Damien Genicot)