Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2007-02-13-Speech-2-167"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20070213.17.2-167"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:spoken text |
"Mr President, the issue of security of supply is of particular importance for the European Union and a number of events over the past few years highlight the need for the European Union to reinforce its policy measures in this area. Let us remember the wake-up call we had last year between Russia and Ukraine and this year between Russia and Belarus. I would like to try to provide you today with a short summary of the different initiatives that the Commission has taken to increase our security of supply in general, and in particular in the relationship with the Russian Federation.
Energy supplies from the Russian Federation play an important role in meeting Europe’s energy needs, accounting for nearly 30% of the EU’s oil imports and 44% of our gas imports. At the same time, 67% of Russia’s oil and gas exports are delivered to the European market and, given the mutual importance of this relationship, an energy dialogue was established in 2000 between the Russian Federation and the EU to discuss energy-related issues, including energy policy, market developments, infrastructure and EU-Russia energy cooperation on technology and energy efficiency.
In addition, there is a roadmap for the common economic space that was agreed during the EU-Russia Summit in May 2005, and that includes cooperation on wide-ranging issues of energy and related activities. Moreover, a new agreement is to be negotiated with the Russian Federation to follow on from the existing EU-Russia partnership and cooperation agreement which expires at the end of the year. It is now intended that this will include a comprehensive agreement on energy.
Let me also point out that in the recent communication, ‘An Energy Policy for Europe’, the Commission formulated quite a number of proposals to mitigate our growing dependence on external energy supplies and to increase our energy security. The Commission underlines that there is no singular solution, but there has to be a variety of different initiatives that must be pursued. They include increased energy efficiency, promotion of renewable energy sources, the diversification of energy supplies, proper functioning of the internal market and internal solidarity mechanisms to cope with possible supply interruptions, including through cooperation with the International Energy Agency. Furthermore, the importance of strengthening our relations with all our key energy suppliers and transit countries and for the EU to speak with a single voice is also underlined in the communication.
In response to recent interruptions in the energy supply field from Russia through Belarus, the Commission also convened meetings earlier this year of both the Gas Coordination Group and the Oil Support Group, which comprised, inter alia, representatives of the Member States. These meetings to which the third countries concerned were invited to give information then reviewed the impact on the EU’s internal energy security of the events in question and how to respond.
Finally, with reference to the area of strengthening energy dialogue, the Commission is committed to maintaining and to reinforcing our energy relations, not only with the Russian Federation, but also with other important energy-producing countries and regions like Norway, the countries of the OPEC, the Gulf Cooperation Council, the countries of the Caspian and the Black Sea basins, Central Asia and North Africa through bilateral agreements and energy dialogues."@en1
|
| lpv:unclassifiedMetadata |
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples