For lack of a political union, EU wants an energy union, but how to stimulate solidarity and trust at EU level? How to convince membersstates to trust each other in front of future energy disturbances?
The Russia-Ukraine crisis and the volatile situation in the Middle east have again brought into attention the necessity of a more centralised EU energy policy has gained momentum in recent months as conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East jeopardise energy supplies.On Tuesday 25 February,EC Vice-President MarošŠefčovič, and energy Commissioner Miguel Arias Cañete presented just such a plan, but a“garbled”one, according to the Greenpeace organisation.
Commenting on the Commission’s plan,Greenpeace EU energy policy adviserTara Connollysaid:“The left hand doesn’t know what the right hand is doing with this plan. The Commission says the EU should move away from fossil fuels but it also wants to chase after new gas supplies and doesn’t rule out coal. Europe needs a coherent, joined-up plan if it’s going to play its part against climate change and be the world number one in renewables.”
Certainly, better energy connections across the European Union can save EU energy users up to 40 billion euros per year, as the energy chief Cañete assured while presenting his plan. Still, the plan itself is more of an assemblage of proposed punctual measuresranging from improving energy security from Russia, increasing the flow of energy between member states and implementing the EU’s 2030 climate targets.
Some governments, including Hungary, have alreadycome out against a commission planto increase its own role in member states’ negotiations of intergovernmental agreements on energy supply, for instance with Russia. Right now, the EU imports 53% of the energy it consumes. Some countries depend for their gas imports on one main supplier, usually Russia.
Diversification of energy sources and suppliers is a key means of improving our energy security. Exploring new supply regions for fuels, exploring new technologies, further developing indigenous resources and improving infrastructure to access new sources of supply are all elements that will contribute to the increased diversification and security of Europe's energy sector. In this context, and as far as gas is concerned, the Commission will develop a resilience and diversification package for gas, which in particular will include a revision of the Security of Gas Supply regulation.
As regards diversification work is on-going as regards the Southern Gas Corridor, the development of a strategy to better use the potential of liquefied natural gas and storage, and the establishment of liquid gas hubs with multiple suppliers in Central and Eastern Europe as well as in the Mediterranean.
The plan, says Greenpeace, lays out a contradictory set of priorities for energy and climate policy for the coming years. It supports the need to cut carbon emissions and the role of renewable energy, but backs fossil fuels like coal in the context of energy security.
Canete added he was releasing a "country-by-country plan" to achieve a goal of ensuring cross-border links equate to at least 10 percent of a nation's power generation capacity by 2020.
The overall amount of investment needed in EU energy infrastructure is around 200 billion euros between now and 2020. Of this, the cost of reaching the 10 percent goal is roughly 40 billion, the Commission says, meaning it would be swiftly offset by the savings it foresees.
Twelve member states do not have enough connection to the rest of the EU electricity market: Britain, Cyprus, Estonia, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Romania and Spain.
EU energy ministers will discuss the Commission's plan in Brussels on 5 March and at an informal gathering hosted by the Latvian Presidency on 14-16 April, before formally taking a position at the Luxembourg energy council on 11-12 June. EU environment ministers will also consider the Commission’s plan at a meeting in Brussels on 6 March, while EU leaders will discuss it briefly at a European summit on 19-20 March.
http://www.neurope.eu/article/eu%E2%80%99s-%E2%80%9Cgarbled-energy-union-plan