Monitoring developments in the energy markets, implementing measures to tackle the energy crisis and dealing with any new emergency proposals will be among the priorities of the upcoming Swedish Presidency of the Council of the European Union, which begins on 1st January 2023, according to the work programme published by the Swedish authorities.
“The Presidency is ready to act quickly and resolutely to meet the pressing challenges presented by the current energy crisis”, the document states.
This will include equipping the EU with the tools to deal with the winter of 2023/2024, but also to meet the challenges of the following years.
Before the end of the Czech Presidency of the EU Council (31 December 2022), Prague hopes to finalise an emergency package at the meeting of Energy Ministers on 19 December. Two legislative proposals in this package - on joint gas procurement and on speeding up permitting procedures for certain renewable energy projects - are currently being held hostage to the third proposal to cap gas prices at EU level in the event of large increases (‘market correction mechanism’), due to divisions between Member States (see EUROPE 13083/11).
The programme also mentions the reform of the design of the EU electricity market, a subject on which Member States have expressed different expectations. While some (e.g. France) want a major reform, others (e.g. the Netherlands, Germany) advocate simple adjustments.
Stockholm will also continue the legislative work on the energy dossiers in the ongoing ‘Fit for 55’ package.
It intends to conclude the interinstitutional negotiations (‘trilogues’) on the proposals for the revision of the Renewable Energy Directive (RED) and the Energy Efficiency Directive (EED), while advancing work on the proposal for the revision of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD), the gas package and the proposal for a Regulation on the reduction of methane emissions in the energy sector.
Climate
The Swedish Presidency also intends to make climate a priority by pushing forward the negotiations on the remaining parts of the ‘Fit for 55’ package “with a high level of ambition in the Environment Council”.
It could thus inherit the revision of the EU’s Emissions Trading System (ETS), if the European Parliament and the EU Council fail to reach an agreement at this week’s trilogue (Friday 16 and Saturday 17 December) (see EUROPE 13084/24).
Stockholm also wants to make progress on the recent legislative proposal to establish a certification scheme for carbon removal (see EUROPE 13074/9) and on the revision of the F-gas Regulation (see EUROPE 12926/3). Both legislative dossiers are currently being negotiated in the EU Council.
“It will also be important to take the results of the UN Climate Change Conference (COP27) forward”, the work programme says.
See the work programme: https://aeur.eu/f/4ot (Original version in French by Damien Genicot)