European Commission - Press release
Brussels, 16 February 2016
The Commission
today presented its energy security package with necessary proposals to equip
the EU for global energy transition as well as to be prepared for possible
energy supply interruptions.
Energy security dimension is one of the cornerstones
of the Energy Union strategy, a key political priority of the Juncker
Commission.
Implementing Energy Union: The Commission presents
energy security package
The Commission
today unveiled a package of #energy_security measures to equip the EU for global
energy transition to address possible energy supply interruptions. Energy
security dimension is one of the cornerstones of the Energy Union strategy, a
key political priority of the Juncker Commission.
The package sets
out a wide range of measures to strengthen the EU's resilience to gas supply
disruptions. These measures include moderating energy demand, increasing energy
production in Europe (including from renewables), further developing a
well-functioning and fully integrated internal energy market, as well as
diversification of energy sources, suppliers and routes. Further, the proposals
bring more transparency to the European energy market and create more
solidarity between the Member States.
Today's energy
security package is presented in the light of the new global and universal
agreement on climate change, adopted by world leaders on 12 December 2015 in
Paris. The Paris agreement sent a strong signal to businesses and policy-makers
placing clean energy on an irreversible pathway and setting the scene for a
global energy transition.
Vice-President responsible for Energy Union, Maroš
Šefčovič said: "The Energy Union Strategy, launched one
year ago, promised to provide all Europeans with energy which is secure,
sustainable, and competitive. Today’s package focuses on the security of our
supply, but touches upon all three overarching goals. By reducing our energy
demand, and better managing our supply from external sources we are delivering
on our promise and enhancing the stability of Europe’s energy market."
Commissioner for Climate Action and Energy, Miguel
Arias Cañete said: "After the gas crises
of 2006 and 2009 that left many millions out in the cold, we said: 'Never
again'. But the stress tests of 2014 showed we are still far too vulnerable to
major disruption of gas supplies. And the political tensions on our borders are
a sharp reminder that this problem is will not just go away. Today's proposals
are about a reliable, competitive and flexible system in which energy flows
across borders and consumers reap the benefits. They are about standing
together to protect the most vulnerable. And they are about securing our clean
energy future: I can assure that our commitment to a clean energy transition is
irreversible and non-negotiable."
What does the package adopted by the Commission
consist of?
Security of Gas
Supply Regulation
Gas plays a role
in the transition to a low-carbon economy and remains important in the EU
energy mix. However the existing external dependence requires the EU to
strengthen the resilience of its markets when confronted by gas supply
disruptions. To reap full benefits of liquid and competitive market it is
necessary to enhance the transparency on EU gas market.
To address this
fragility of the system, the Commission proposes a shift from national approach
to a regional approach when designing security of supply measures. Further, the
proposal introduces a solidarity principle among Member States to ensure the
supply of households and essential social services, such as healthcare, in case
their supply was affected due to a severe crisis.
A decision on
Intergovernmental Agreements in energy
The EU needs to
ensure that intergovernmental agreements signed by its Member States with third
countries and relevant to EU gas security are more transparent and fully comply
with EU law. To that end it introduces an ex-ante compatibility
check by the Commission. This ex-ante assessment makes it possible to check
compliance with competition rules and internal energy market legislation before
the agreements are negotiated, signed and sealed. The Member States will have
to take full account of the Commission's opinion ahead of signing the
agreements.
Liquefied natural
gas (LNG) and gas storage strategy
Europe is the
biggest importer of natural gas in the world. Europe's overall LNG import
capacity is significant – currently it is enough to meet around 43% of total
current gas demand (2015). However, significant regional disparities as regards
access to LNG remain. The Commission sets a liquefied natural gas (LNG)
strategy that will improve access of all Member States to LNG as an alternative
source of gas. The central elements of this strategy are building the strategic
infrastructure to complete the internal energy market and identifying the
necessary projects to end single-source dependency of some of the Member
States.
Heating and
Cooling strategy
The heating and
cooling of buildings and industry consumes half of the EU's energy. Further, it
is 75% powered by fossil fuels. The proposed Heating and Cooling strategy
focuses on removing barriers to decarbonisation in buildings and industry. It
also stresses that increased energy efficiency and use of renewables will have
an impact on energy security. Looking into this sector more strategically is
crucial as the EU wants to improve its interdependence from external suppliers.
Background
One of the priorities of the Juncker Commission is the
creation of a resilient European Energy Union with a forward looking climate
change policy. The goal of the European Energy Union, as set out in the
Framework Strategy[1] of last February, is to give EU consumers – households and businesses
– secure, sustainable, competitive and affordable energy.
This will require a
fundamental transition of our energy landscape. It provides an opportunity for
further innovation in the sector, thereby contributing to creating jobs and
growth in the EU and protecting our environment. The Commission makes a strong
call to the European Parliament and the Council to turn today's proposals into
legislation very quickly as a matter of priority to increase Europe's
resilience to potential energy disruptions.
Security of supply
is one of the five interlinked and mutually dependant dimensions of the Energy
Union. Key drivers of energy security are the completion of the internal market
and more efficient energy consumption, but the EU's energy security is also
closely linked with the energy policy choices of its neighbours.
For more information:
Fact sheet: Security of gas
supply regulation
Fact sheet:
Intergovernmental agreements in energy
Fact sheet: Liquefied
Natural Gas and gas storage will boost EU's energy security
Fact sheet: Towards a smart,
efficient and sustainable heating and cooling sector
Energy Union Strategy website
Website DG Energy: https://ec.europa.eu/energy/en/news/commission-proposes-new-rules-gas-and-heating-and-cooling-strategy
[1] A Framework Strategy for a
Resilient Energy Union with a Forward-Looking Climate Change Policy,
COM(2015)80.
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