Establishing the Energy Union is one of the top priorities of the Juncker Commission, Maroš Šefčovič, European Commission Vice-President for Energy Union, said at an extraordinary meeting of the European Parliament Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE) Committee at the end of January.
Outlining some of the objectives that Energy Union aims to achieve, Šefčovič said that Energy Union was one of the major EU policies that would have a profound impact on the lives of citizens across the EU. “It is about ensuring that house heating prices are affordable to all and remain stable regardless of geopolitical instabilities around the world. It is about ensuring that our companies, including our Small and Medium Enterprises, can buy their energy at competitive prices and be engines of growth and the much-needed jobs of the future,” the Commission Vice President said.
While noting that the objectives might sound ambitious, Šefčovič said that they were attainable, as the political climate currently exists to set the Energy Union in motion. “We have a new Commission that will push for a resilient Energy Union with a forward looking climate change policy. The Juncker Investment Plan, designed to unlock the financial means the energy sector really needs, illustrates this determination,” he said.
Šefčovič said that the Energy Union plan consists of five mutually-reinforcing and closely interrelated goals: enhancing security of supply; building a competitive single internal energy market; increasing energy efficiency; decarbonising energy production; and boosting renewable energies by investing in research and innovation. He said that these five dimensions reflect the holistic approach being adopted regarding Energy Union, which would involve many policy areas, from transport and competition to agricultural and industrial policy.
Underlining that Energy Union would require a strong and credible governance system, the Vice President for Energy Union said that the European Parliament would have a key role to play in making the Energy Union happen. He said that once the Energy Union Strategy was adopted, he would present the full Framework Strategy to the European Parliament, in anticipation of its strong support.