A debate on the European Grids Package will occupy the European energy ministers on 16 March at their sectoral Council meeting in Brussels. This is the second time they will be discussing the issue, following the European Commission’s presentation of the package on 10 December (see EUROPE 13770/4).
Comprising a revision of the TEN-E regulation and a directive aimed at speeding up the process of granting permits, this package aims to strengthen cross-border interconnectivity and promote electrification.
The ministers will be questioned on the most sensitive points, such as the design of a “central scenario” proposed by the Commission for planning the development of energy networks. This point received a mixed reception, with some Member States concerned about a ‘top-down’ planning at EU level would encroach on national policy choices.
Another thorny issue concerns the use of congestion revenues and the extension of cost sharing for cross-border infrastructure projects.
“Currently, the costs of these projects are often concentrated in a few Member States while the benefits are shared regionally or even across the Union”, points out the Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the EU in a policy paper (https://aeur.eu/f/kyl ).
However, there is still a long way to go before there is unanimity on revenue sharing, as shown by the EU Council’s latest draft text, negotiated by national experts at technical level (see EUROPE 13804/8).
More visibly, the Swedish Minister for Energy, Ebba Busch, who is very outspoken on the subject, recently reiterated that congestion revenues “should be used to develop the electricity network in Sweden, and not in other EU countries”. (Original version in French by Pauline Denys)