In a preparatory document for the European Parliament hearing of the Commissioner-designate for Energy, obtained by Agence Europe (see EUROPE 13506/12), the European Commission answers MEPs’ questions on the future of EU energy policies.
On 5 November, Commissioner-designate Dan Jørgensen will set out the European Commission’s vision for bringing the benefits of the energy transition and affordable energy prices to citizens and businesses, while ensuring the Union’s competitiveness.
He will also be defending priorities such as security of supply, energy diplomacy and the role of hydrogen and nuclear energy.
Nuclear. As a minister in Denmark, Mr Jørgensen is known for his anti-nuclear stance. He will have to convince MEPs that he believes in the principle of technological neutrality.
“The Treaty gives each Member State the right to choose its own energy mix. This right must be respected by the institutions and by all EU Member States”, states the document.
While no specific plan for nuclear power (‘Nuclear Act’) - as initially put forward by former Commissioner for the Internal Market Thierry Breton - is currently planned by the Commission, Mr Jørgensen is expected to explicitly express his desire to “integrate the role of nuclear power into the EU’s energy policy”.
Energy prices. “Affordable energy prices and a just transition will be my main priorities”, Mr Jørgensen will also affirm, while reiterating his desire to build on the pillars of the Green Deal to boost European competitiveness.
As announced in his mission statement (see EUROPE 13485/10), the Commissioner-designate will have to present an action plan specifically dedicated to ‘affordable energy prices’, as well as an action plan for electrification.
On the question of public investment, Mr Jørgensen has been instructed by the Commission not to make any commitments at the parliamentary hearing on the budget allocated to energy transition under the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF).
Moving away from fossil fuels. Mr Jørgensen then pledged to continue working to ensure that subsidies for fossil fuels are phased out once and for all, and stated that unless current projects are finalised, financial support from the EU budget for gas infrastructure “can no longer be justified”.
As regards the continuation of the REPowerEU strategy, the Commissioner-designate is expected to present a roadmap in the first quarter of 2025 for a definitive end to energy imports from Russia (see EUROPE 13506/12).
International partnerships. Several questions then focus on energy diplomacy and partnerships with third countries to ensure the EU’s security of supply. Among other things, Mr Jørgensen will indicate his intention to continue importing American LNG, “but in smaller volumes in the future”.
He will also discuss relations with countries such as Azerbaijan, the Gulf States (see EUROPE 13505/1) and Turkey.
Hydrogen. With regard to hydrogen, Mr Jørgensen will undertake to finalise the delegated act on low-carbon hydrogen and to put in place an EU strategy for hydrogen imported and produced in the EU, as required by the Renewable Energy Directive.
However, the document does not mention the possibility of opening up the European Hydrogen Bank to low-carbon hydrogen (see EUROPE 13504/11), unlike the response documents from the Commissioner-designate for Climate, Wopke Hoekstra (see other news).
The document: https://aeur.eu/f/dxr (Original version in French by Pauline Denys)