Comprising representatives of the Commission, member states and the Council Secretariat, NESCO's tasks include the monitoring and exchange of information. Its purpose is to serve as "a new instrument to step up the Union's capacity to collect information and provide early warning of potential threats to the security of energy supply".
The group's creation was endorsed in the conclusions of the December 2006 European Council as part of a range of proposed actions to ensure greater security in the supply of energy to the EU, including "improved co-operation" with producer countries, notably Russia. NESCO can also be seen in the context of the European Neighborhood Policy (EurActiv LinksDossier), which seeks to strengthen co-operation with energy transit countries such as the Ukraine.
The Commission hopes that the group will also contribute to "increased co-operation between all EU energy actors", and that this co-operation will accelerate the implementation of the EU's future energy policy (EurActiv LinksDossier).
