The European energy ministers will meet in Luxembourg on Tuesday 17 October for an ‘Energy’ Council devoted to negotiations on the reform of the electricity market. The aim is to reach a general approach, since this was not possible at their last meeting on 19 June (see EUROPE 13204/1), and time is running out to reach an agreement with the European Parliament (see EUROPE 13250/19) before the end of the current legislature.
The Member States’ ambassadors to the European Union (Coreper) met on Friday 13 October to learn about the Spanish Presidency’s latest revision proposals (see EUROPE 13270/1), the most recent of which involves removing access to subsidies via contract for differences (CfDs) for existing power plants from Article 19b.
If this version is presented to the European energy ministers on Tuesday, it remains to be seen whether it will be possible for Member States to benefit from CfDs for their existing power plants, outside the framework of the legislation.
While several diplomatic sources assure that everything will be done to ensure that the reform of the electricity market is as inclusive as possible, taking into account the considerations of Member States with very different energy mixes, such as France and Germany, it is not out of the question that the latest proposal will subsequently be put to a qualified majority vote.
Some are also hoping that the ongoing Franco-German discussions (see EUROPE 13270/1) will help make progress on the issue, as French President Emmanuel Macron has assured, stating that a Franco-German agreement should appear by “the end of the month”.
If the European energy ministers fail to reach an agreement on Tuesday, there is still the possibility, in the coming weeks, of organising an exceptional Council meeting or adopting a Coreper mandate, bearing in mind that each postponement reduces the chances of rapidly starting negotiations with the Parliament and reaching a final agreement before the next European elections. (Original version in French by Pauline Denys)