Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2006-03-22-Speech-3-096"
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"en.20060322.12.3-096"2
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".
Mr President, the previous debate on the Commission’s work programme focused a lot on energy. I am very grateful for this and for the question that was put to the Commission and made this debate possible.
Last, but not least, the areas I should like to bring to your attention are international. The best response for security of supply is not only diversity, but also lies in global, transparent and competitive gas and oil markets. This is the vision that could provide the necessary diversity. For this to happen, we need to stabilise the countries that have gas and oil resources. We should build infrastructure that allows us to bring more gas from different regions in the world, because only in this way can we provide security of supply in gas and oil. We should promote our vision of the market to the near neighbourhood. The energy community should be expanded.
Tomorrow, the European Council will have the opportunity to debate these issues. I believe that the momentum created by the Green Paper for establishing a European common policy in energy will be continued. I am very grateful for the debate and I look forward to working with this House towards establishing a European energy policy that corresponds to the basic needs of our citizens.
In a way, the Green Paper on a European strategy for sustainable, competitive and secure energy has given the answers as to how we should proceed in addressing the challenges set out in your question. We should also realise that this is a global challenge: the tightness of supply and demand, climate change, import dependency and investment needs in the energy sector are all global challenges. The response from the European Union is a common energy policy. We have significant support from citizens. In a recent opinion poll, 47% of European citizens supported action at European level. We received a lot of support from many Member States and national parliaments after the publication of the Green Paper. It is clear that the main added value of this Green Paper lies in this common approach where we stress that security of supply, competitiveness and sustainability cannot be separated in our energy policy. All three should interact.
At the same time, it is also clear that we cannot find a silver bullet and there is no silver bullet. It means that in the area of energy policy we should focus on a set of measures in specific areas. Firstly, it is important for security of supply, sustainability and competitiveness to provide a really competitive, open, transparent EU internal market. That is also crucial for security of supply. We provide for some actions that really provide for not only stronger competition but also cross-border trade: cross-border energy transactions. This is an extremely important area and I expect support from this House in the future on these issues.
The second issue, which is extremely important – as the President-in-Office indicated – is solidarity. The Union is strong when there is solidarity. Solidarity means, firstly, being ready for extreme situations; secondly, it involves the solidarity mechanism and, thirdly, it involves a lot of information on what is happening on the energy markets. I agree that diversity is the most important issue, but to use this diversity in the best possible way we need a lot of information and a lot of transparency. We provide for such measures by revisiting the oil stocks directive, placing more focus on the security of supply of electricity and gas and looking for new mechanisms that really correspond to the needs of our citizens, who would like to know that should an extreme situation arise, we have a mechanism and reserves in place that could be used in such a situation.
Then there is the issue of the energy mix. That should be the responsibility of each Member State – it is a question of subsidiarity. However, we know that action in one particular Member State influences all the other Member States, at least the neighbouring Member States. That means that we should take action taking into account our neighbours’ energy policies and try to boost the best possible actions.
A strategic EU energy review, which would allow us to revisit these issues continually, is necessary to provide the best approach in terms of each state’s energy mix. Energy efficiency and renewable energy development will definitely be on the rise in deciding an energy mix. However, at the same time, I also believe that the nuclear energy that is now in the energy mix will be used in many Member States. It is important, however, to ensure that this energy is used in a safe and sustainable way.
I also believe in the diversity that could bring us new technologies and in clean coal, carbon sequestration and so on. We now have a good example with the Shell and Statoil project involving carbon sequestration and post-combustion. This is not a demonstration project: for the first time, a real industrial project involving 860 megawatts is bringing new possibilities for a diversification in the energy mix that corresponds to the objectives of our energy policy.
Some people have indicated that there is not enough focus on energy efficiency. I disagree, as there is a lot of emphasis on it. Parliament has debated the Green Paper on energy efficiency. We will propose a very ambitious European action plan on energy efficiency, which will place a lot of emphasis on transport. However, the focus on energy efficiency will be continued in all Member States through their national action plans and this is extremely important.
Regarding technology, I mention just one example: Europe is able to provide for new technologies, but we should use all the possibilities in a coherent way. I believe that the European strategic energy technology plan really could make a difference."@en1
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