Friday

29th Mar 2024

EU envisages soft touch Energy Union

  • The paper does not say what the commission will do if national plans fall short of the EU-wide ambition. (Photo: European Commission)

The European Commission is appearing to go for a soft touch approach in getting member states to achieve the energy and climate goals laid out in its Energy Union strategy.

According to an internal document, seen by this website, the commission is floating monitoring and reporting instruments, but no strict top-down measures to police the proposed new rules.

Read and decide

Join EUobserver today

Get the EU news that really matters

Instant access to all articles — and 20 years of archives. 14-day free trial.

... or subscribe as a group

The document is a discussion paper written for a meeting of high commission officials next Wednesday (15 July). It lists “the kind of instruments that could support a future governance system”.

When the commission announced its Energy Union plans in February, it said its strategy needs “an integrated governance and monitoring process, to make sure that energy-related actions at European, regional, national and local level all contribute to the Energy Union's objectives”.

Those objectives included increasing energy security, increasing efficient use of energy, completing the single energy market, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

According to the paper, Energy Union governance “should start with building and sharing knowledge of energy policy and its development across all member states”.

This will be done via a “transparent monitoring system”, which includes as its two “core elements”:

- “single integrated national plans for the post-2020 period”

- “biennial reports on the implementation of national plans”

“National plans would be the key instruments for member states to set out their energy and climate policy approaches for the period up to 2030 in an integrated way”, the paper noted.

“The commission would aggregate these national plans and compare with the EU-level target".

However, the paper does not say what the commission will do if those plans fall short of the EU-wide ambition.

Those plans, the paper said, need to include “projections for the energy system and greenhouse gas emissions based on existing policies, notably a reference projection that does not include the effects of the planned policies described, and a policy projection with the planned measures”.

The commission stated that a new “Reference Scenario”, prepared by the commission, will be an “important input” for those projections.

“Without aiming to replace national projections developed by member states, it can be a useful reference point for member states in defining their own targets and objectives”, the document stated.

The commission does not have exclusive power over most energy issues, which means it needs the co-operation of national governments, and may explain the careful language.

Green lobby group Climate Action Network Europe (CAN Europe) has already criticised the discussion paper, which it said “ is completely lacking teeth”.

“Planning and reporting alone will not ensure that the EU meets and exceeds its 2030 energy and climate goals. With this proposal governments will not be held accountable for failing to invest in renewables and energy efficiency”, said CAN Europe campaigner Jean-Francois Fauconnier in an e-mailed statement.

The paper did not discuss the commission's contentious wish to be more closely involved when countries sign gas contracts, for which a proposal is due to be published after the summer break.

EU commissioner to begin 'Energy Union' tour

EU energy commissioner Maros Sefcovic will start visiting EU countries this week to share initial findings of a commission analysis of each country's energy and climate policy.

Brussels wants stronger role in gas deals

The European Commission wants to be more closely involved when its member states negotiate energy contracts, under plans for an energy union unveiled Wednesday.

Opinion

EU Modernisation Fund: an open door for fossil gas in Romania

Among the largest sources of financing for energy transition of central and eastern European countries, the €60bn Modernisation Fund remains far from the public eye. And perhaps that's one reason it is often used for financing fossil gas projects.

Latest News

  1. Kenyan traders react angrily to proposed EU clothes ban
  2. Lawyer suing Frontex takes aim at 'antagonistic' judges
  3. Orban's Fidesz faces low-polling jitters ahead of EU election
  4. German bank freezes account of Jewish peace group
  5. EU Modernisation Fund: an open door for fossil gas in Romania
  6. 'Swiftly dial back' interest rates, ECB told
  7. Moscow's terror attack, security and Gaza
  8. Why UK-EU defence and security deal may be difficult

Stakeholders' Highlights

  1. Nordic Council of MinistersJoin the Nordic Food Systems Takeover at COP28
  2. Nordic Council of MinistersHow women and men are affected differently by climate policy
  3. Nordic Council of MinistersArtist Jessie Kleemann at Nordic pavilion during UN climate summit COP28
  4. Nordic Council of MinistersCOP28: Gathering Nordic and global experts to put food and health on the agenda
  5. Friedrich Naumann FoundationPoems of Liberty – Call for Submission “Human Rights in Inhume War”: 250€ honorary fee for selected poems
  6. World BankWorld Bank report: How to create a future where the rewards of technology benefit all levels of society?

Stakeholders' Highlights

  1. Georgia Ministry of Foreign AffairsThis autumn Europalia arts festival is all about GEORGIA!
  2. UNOPSFostering health system resilience in fragile and conflict-affected countries
  3. European Citizen's InitiativeThe European Commission launches the ‘ImagineEU’ competition for secondary school students in the EU.
  4. Nordic Council of MinistersThe Nordic Region is stepping up its efforts to reduce food waste
  5. UNOPSUNOPS begins works under EU-funded project to repair schools in Ukraine
  6. Georgia Ministry of Foreign AffairsGeorgia effectively prevents sanctions evasion against Russia – confirm EU, UK, USA

Join EUobserver

EU news that matters

Join us