Brussels, 23/01/2006 (Agence Europe) - On Tuesday, less than two months before the European Spring Summit of 23 and 24 March which will in part be devoted to energy matters, French Finance Minister Thierry Breton will present, as we had indicated, a memorandum on France's overall strategy for a common energy policy to his counterparts at the ECOFIN Council.
France proposes that each Member State prepare an outline energy forecast, focussing on projected supply and demand management in the medium to long term, then inform the others of how it intends to satisfy demand in terms both of production and import, and also of environmental issues. Paris proposes that the Union put in place a multi-annual production, transport and storage investment programme which takes account of environmental imperatives. France is also considering the creation of a coordination centre for the exchange of information among Member States' electricity transport managers to encourage cross-border trade, and wants a harmonisation of European regulators' responsibilities to reinforce consistency across the internal electricity and gas markets. Paris, nonetheless, calls on the Union to assess the situation, integrating safety of supply and environmental impact criteria, before full liberalisation of the energy market on 1st July 2007.
On the demand side, Paris supports: - energy savings certificates (as already exist in France) in every Member State, especially for blocks do flats, leading ultimately to a European certificate market; - reflection on how to improve the energy efficiency of products in the European economic area, including imported goods; - the spread of energy labelling; - a study on a European guarantee fund to finance enhanced energy efficiency in buildings. In terms of transport, France favours incentives to reduce fuel consumption in vehicles (with consideration given to speed limits) and to better organise journeys, public transport and freight travel. It is also in favour of a system of greenhouse gas quota exchange for air transport. In the industrial area, France proposes that the implementation of specific, long-term measures for major industrial consumers be studied at Community level, and supports the development of industrial options in the energy efficiency sector.
On the supply side, Paris proposes: - increasing research into carbon collection and storage and “clean carbon” technologies; - regular publication of information on oil stocks to make the market more transparent and to reinforce the energy dialogue, particularly on fossil fuels; - increase, at Community level, in the rate of introduction of biofuels and liquefied natural gas in transport and support for green chemistry to replace petrochemicals; - re-examination of the 2004 Directive on safety of supply of natural gas, particularly the measures encouraging investment in to storage capacity; - accelerating the development of gas links and methane terminals and guaranteeing long-term contracts on competition rules. With regard to nuclear power, France calls on the Union to take account of nuclear energy's contribution to safety of supply and in the fight against climate change. It recommends continuing the work in progress to ensure the highest levels of waste safety, security and management. Paris also proposes the increase of research and development on “nuclear power of the future”. In the area of alternative energy, France is of the opinion that a new Directive on renewable thermic energy should be envisaged and recommends that Member States give some of the structural fund over to development of renewable energy. Finally, in R&D in the energy sector, France wants the Union to acknowledge that energy is a priority in the 7th framework programme on R&D and recommends reinforcing existing technological platforms at Community level (hydrogen, fuel cells, collection and storage of CO2).