Brussels, 23/08/2006 (Agence Europe) - In a speech on 23 August at Stavanger in Norway at the Offshore Northern Seas Conference Energy Commissioner, Andris Piebalgs was pleased to announce in a press release of the Commission that, “The EU has invested a lot of effort and funds in developing efficient European technologies capable of facing the enormous energy challenges of the North Sea. The success has been remarkable… the EEA has become a key global leader in the field of Energy today". He also stated that during the 80's and 90's the EU contributed approximately €1.5 billion to several hundred oil and gas projects. He recalled the Commission's Green Paper on a European Strategy for Sustainable, Competitive and Secure Energy that was adopted in March this year. The latter will also be preceded by the presentation of an Action Plan on Energy Efficiency at the end of September. The Commissioner pointed out that the EU's future energy demand will only be met if efficiency improvements and new and alternative energy resources are developed and if the EU Member States join forces. Mr Piebalgs said “We must keep the choice of the nuclear option open for countries which want to generate or consume nuclear electricity” (thirteen EU Member States which generate nuclear electricity, which accounts for 32% of total electricity generated in the EU), he explained. The press release also underlines that a key role in providing security of supply to the EU in the future will notably be through developments in the Southern Barents Sea, where the Snohvit (gas) and Goliath (oil) fields.