The European energy ministers will be meeting in Brussels on Thursday 30 May for the last EU ‘Energy’ Council under the Belgian Presidency, to adopt conclusions on the development of European electricity networks and to take stock of the REPowerEU strategy and the European Green Deal as the European legislature draws to a close.
Networks. Following negotiations between the Member States’ ambassadors to the EU (Coreper), the European ministers are expected to validate and present the final conclusions on the development and modernisation of European electricity networks, which were the subject of preliminary discussions at the informal meeting of energy ministers on 15 and 16 April (see EUROPE 13414/7).
During the Coreper negotiations, “not everyone around the table seemed satisfied”, admitted a European diplomatic source, “but we have the impression that the text is balanced and we have no intention of reopening it in any way whatsoever”.
REPowerEU. An exchange of views will take place in the morning on the two-year review of the REPowerEU strategy (see EUROPE 13412/7), which came into being following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
This discussion at ministerial level is considered “necessary” by the same diplomatic source in order to “see if there are still obstacles to overcome, specifically concerning the exit from Russian fossil fuel imports”.
Green Deal. The afternoon session will be devoted exclusively to taking stock of the European Green Deal, which includes various targets such as a 55% reduction in net greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.
The ministers will also discuss the provisional national energy-climate plans, the final version of which must be submitted to the European Commission by 30 June.
These plans will be the subject of a specific information point from the Commission, which is calling for greater efforts on the part of the Member States to achieve the EU’s 2030 targets (see EUROPE 13317/5).
Energy communities. The lunchtime debate will focus on the role of energy communities.
For the Commission, these communities, along with civic engagement, are part of the success of the energy transition.
However, “the development of these local initiatives is not as popular and widespread as expected, due to various obstacles, whether financial or administrative. The idea is for the ministers to share national experiences and the obstacles that exist in their countries”, explained the same diplomatic source.
Energy Charter Treaty. The ministers are also expected to formally approve the agreement reached in Coreper on the position to be adopted by the EU at the next meeting of the Energy Charter Conference in the autumn, as well as on the coordinated withdrawal of the EU and Euratom from the Energy Charter Treaty (ECT) (see EUROPE 13414/21).
Other specific points that will be discussed include winter preparations and preliminary information from the Commission on the compliance of procedures for adopting capacity remuneration mechanisms, which will be the subject of a report by the European Commission by the end of the year.
The Czech and Slovak delegations will report on the need to strengthen the just transition in regions penalised by decarbonisation, while the Austrian, Hungarian, Czech and Slovak delegations will once again voice their concerns about the German tax on gas storage neutrality (see EUROPE 13417/14).
Finally, the Hungarian delegation will present its work programme for the Hungarian Presidency of the EU Council, which starts in July. (Original version in French by Pauline Denys)