Luxemburg, 08/06/2006 (Agence Europe) - Within the framework of their discussions on international energy relations, in Luxemburg on Thursday, EU Energy Ministers, ahead of the next European Council, backed the joint contribution on energy security and EU foreign policy by Javier Solana and the Commission (see EUROPE 9202 and EUROPE/Documents 2437). “This document represents an excellent basis for the European energy policy,” Council President Martin Bartenstein told press. He went on, “We all agree that we have to speak with one voice on the international stage”. Energy Commissioner Andris Piebalgs welcomed the Council's “significant step forward towards an integrated energy policy”. During discussions, Ministers all stressed the need to speak with one voice in energy dialogues with EU partner countries, whether producer or transit. Several Member States - Germany, France, Belgium and the Netherlands in particular - nonetheless expressed their reticence at seeing the Commission increase initiatives without keeping them informed and they called for greater coordination between Commission and Council. This did not prevent Mr Piebalgs from welcoming the “support for the Commission's pro-active approach” in energy relations outside the EU. Other Member States - notably Luxemburg, Italy and the Netherlands - stressed the need to have first a more integrated internal market before further developing a common external energy policy. “For the moment we have an European, but not a Community, approach, which is reasonable given the little integration there is in the internal energy market,” said Jeannot Krecké (Luxemburg).
The Austrian Presidency and the Commission informed the Council of the latest developments in the main energy dialogues, principally with Russia (G8 Energy Ministers' meeting on 16 March and Sotchi Summit of 25 May) and of the dialogue with the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) (see EUROPE 9206). Germany, especially, welcomed the announcement by the Commission and OPEC of their intention to carry out a joint study on the investment needed in the refining sector.