On their arrival at the informal ‘Energy’ meeting in Warsaw on Tuesday 13 May, several European energy ministers spoke of the importance of the European Commission’s roadmap for a move away from Russian fossil fuels (see EUROPE 13637/8).
The plan sets out a number of forthcoming initiatives, including one that will allow European companies to end long-term contracts for Russian gas supplies by the end of 2027. The European Commission has indicated that it will present the legal basis for adopting this measure by qualified majority in June. This means that Hungary and Slovakia will not be able to block the text (see EUROPE 13635/19).
“I am very pleased that we have a plan, and that it cannot be jeopardised by a veto, because we will finalise it and adopt it by a majority”, said Poland’s Minister for Climate and Energy, Paulina Hennig-Kloska.
Conclusions on energy security. The Minister also explained that she was counting on the conclusions on energy security, which the Polish Presidency is currently negotiating, to mention this plan (see EUROPE 13636/21).
However, she indicated that it was too early to go into the details of these conclusions, which she hoped would be adopted in June.
Speaking to Agence Europe, the Danish Minister for Climate and Energy, Lars Aagaard Møller, explained that pursuing the objectives of the Commission’s roadmap would be an absolute priority for the forthcoming Danish Presidency of the Council of the EU, which begins on 1 July.
While the majority of Member States also welcome the initiative, many share common concerns, as explained by the Romanian Secretary of State for the Ministry of Energy, Cristian Bușoi.
“There are a lot of relevant and useful ideas, but we are still faced with high energy prices, electricity in particular. It’s a competitiveness problem for our industry”, he explained.
In his view, it is important to mobilise more funds and to revise the rules on State aid.
The Lithuanian Energy Minister, Žygimantas Vaičiūnas, acknowledged that the Commission’s plan could lead to price fluctuations in the very short term, but that it was “the long-term solution to ensure the competitiveness of our systems and to be able to count on reliable suppliers”.
Nuclear. On the question of abandoning Russian nuclear fuels, which the Commission is considering targeting through trade measures (see EUROPE 13634/1), France had called for flexibility and pragmatism.
The French Minister for Industry and Energy, Marc Ferracci, explained to the press that his country was in favour of developing strategic autonomy “on European soil” in terms of nuclear infrastructure.
He also noted that the countries of the Nuclear Alliance had met prior to the informal meeting to insist on abandoning fossil fuels and investing in low-carbon energies, in particular nuclear power.
Ukraine’s energy system. The agenda for the informal meeting focused on the reconstruction of Ukraine’s energy system, following Russia’s bombardment of the country’s energy system, but also on support for the development of a decentralised energy system in Ukraine and Moldova.
The working lunch was specifically devoted to the alignment of Ukraine’s and Moldova’s energy legislation with the EU framework.
“If we want to talk about further integration, this progress in terms of aligning laws is necessary”, said Paulina Hennig-Kloska, who went on to say that Ukraine’s progress in this area was impressive.
Blackout on the Iberian peninsula. On the subject of energy security, the ministers also discussed the massive blackout that hit the Iberian peninsula on 28 April (see EUROPE 13638/15).
According to Germany’s new Minister for the Economy and Energy, Katherina Reiche, this incident “forces us to take a realistic look at the state of the transformation of the energy system in Europe and in Germany”.
“While it is important to develop renewable energies, it is equally important to guarantee the security and resilience of the system. We need a diversified gas supply”, she added.
For Marc Ferracci, it is essential to “strengthen interconnections and cooperation on grids and electricity systems, and to discuss security of supply”.
ETS. On a completely different point, Paulina Hennig-Kloska told a press conference that her country hoped to open up “the revision clause” in the Emissions Trading Directive (ETS), “which affects energy prices”. She added that if the 2027 deadline could not be pushed back, she would request a derogation for her country. (Original version in French by Pauline Denys)