Addressing the European Parliament’s Committee on Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE) on Thursday 20 November, the European Commissioner for Energy and Housing, Dan Jørgensen, emphasised the need to protect the EU’s “strategic connections” in light of the troubled geopolitical context.
Responding to MEPs’ questions on the ‘networks’ package due on 10 December, he reminded them that the European Commission intended to present a revision of the regulation governing trans-European energy networks (‘TEN-E’). The EU institution is also considering amendments to existing legislation containing specific provisions on the granting of permits, such as the Renewable Energy Directive.
Furthermore, Mr Jørgensen announced that the next list of Projects of Common Interest (PCIs) and Projects of Mutual Interest (PMIs) would be published on 28 November in the form of a delegated act supplementing the TEN-E Regulation.
A draft recommendation aimed at reducing queues for connection to the network is also being circulated (see EUROPE 13755/19).
“At this defining moment, we cannot afford to be made weakened and fragmented. Connection is not just our best solution. It is our only solution”, he declared.
Southeast Europe. Responding to a question from Tsvetelina Penkova (S&D, Bulgarian), the Commissioner confirmed that the action plan will focus on the challenges faced by South-East Europe, which is facing high electricity prices.
He acknowledged that some countries were being left behind, and that the solution to achieving an effective ‘Energy Union’ was “more planning at EU level”.
The Commissioner also returned to the subject of the major blackout on the Iberian peninsula last April. “(...) If we want to avoid blackouts, security of supply, problems, curtailment and bring down prices, it’s one of those things where (...) the answer will always be the same, more connectedness”, he insisted.
REPowerEU. Rihards Kols (ECR, Latvian) asked the Commissioner when the legislation on Russian nuclear fuel in the REPowerEU roadmap would be published, but Mr Jørgensen said that he was not yet ready to present it.
This targeted proposal “is quite complicated and needs to be done in very close collaboration with the Member States involved because we do not want to bring them into situations where they have lack of security of supply”, he explained. (Original version in French by Pauline Denys)