Brussels, 25/01/2007 (Agence Europe) - After bringing forward a substantial package of proposals on energy and climate change on 10 January (see EUROPE 9341), the Commission is about to launch the first “Sustainable Energy Week” (EUSEW) on 29 January, a series of events in Brussels and several cities of Europe (Grenoble, Murcia and Wels) bringing together 44 stakeholders in the energy sector. Those taking part in EUSEW belong to most sectors of activity in renewable sources of energy and energy efficiency, at all levels of responsibility: public and private, European, international, national, regional and local. The main aim of EUSEW is to discuss the measures necessary to implement two key pillars of the new Energy Policy proposed by the Commission. “Energy policy is not only about legislation, but also about communicating, hearing and bringing together all stakeholders,” Energy Commissioner Andris Piebalgs told press before adding, “With the EU Sustainable Energy Week, the Commission leads the most willing stakeholders to undertake a real European energy revolution”.
The SEW is the central plank of a continuous programme, “Energy Days”, taking place throughout the year to promote sustainable energy to citizens. In addition to the events taking place in Brussels next week (see EUSEW site at http: //http://www.eusew.eu ), the following events will take place in several European cities: “The Spanish Renewable Energy Week” in Murcia, Spain, the “Energy Conference”, Grenoble in France, “TalkEnergy” in Wels, Austria.
Energy commissioner is in favour of Dimas' proposals on car emissions
Furthermore, while the Commission's decision to postpone presentation of the new measures that it is recommending for further reduction of CO2 emissions from new cars by 2012 is causing quite a stir (EUROPE 9350 and 9351), the energy commissioner, who was questioned by reporters on the subject, did not hesitate to say that he supported the firm proposals put forward by the environment commissioner, Stavros Dimas. “I am in favour of mandatory targets for car producers”, Piebalgs asserted, going on to explain that “voluntary agreements are not giving the results we had expected”. It is worth mentioning that, although the Commission claims to have postponed its package on cars and climate for a few weeks in order to finalise its communication on a revised strategy for the reduction of pollution by private cars, this adjournment must allow President Barroso to act as arbiter in the dispute between his environment commissioner, who recommends binding legislation making it an obligation for car manufacturers to bring the average level of emissions per car down to 120 gm of CO2 per km by 2012, and his colleague for industry, Günter Verheugen, who is concerned about the adverse effect that such compulsory limit values would have on the competitiveness of the motor industry. (eh)