Brussels, 09/03/2006 (Agence Europe) - In a press release published on Wednesday, Austrian Energy Minister and Council President Martin Bartenstein congratulated Energy Commissioner Andris Piebalgs and his services on the “excellent work” carried out on the Green Paper on energy, adopted by the Commission the same day. He said the Green Paper set out the key points laying the foundations of a common energy policy which “Europe needs”. Mr Bartenstein stressed the importance of a coherent external policy allowing the EU to speak with one voice on the international stage, to reach an energy partnership with Russia (see related article), to complete the internal market (by, among other things, extending the powers of energy regulators, he said) and to promote alternative and renewable energy. “We want Europe to become world champion in energy efficiency and renewables,” said Mr Bartenstein. He welcomed too the fact that, in the Green Paper, the Commission had respected the principle of subsidiarity, in terms of each Member State's choice of energy mix (remember that, “for Austria, nuclear power is not an option”).
UK Energy Minister Malcolm Wicks also welcomed the Commission's strategy. The Green Paper “proposes an ambitious agenda for action and provides a firm basis for Member States collectively and individually to take the steps necessary to ensure secure, affordable and sustainable energy for all EU citizens,” he said in a press release. “No longer can energy policy be created by each Member State in complete isolation. By speaking with the same voice, towards the same goals, the Union can achieve its energy goals for the benefit of all EU citizens,” he concluded.
According to sources in Brussels, the French government welcomed this “innovative document” for two reasons: “it provides an integrated approach to the whole energy issue targeting three priority goals (security, competitiveness and sustainability) and it is a step towards greater integration”.