Tag: danish presidency

The draft energy efficiency directive, initially billed as the most important energy savings law to date, is being held back by the "vested interests" of large energy companies with very close ties to member states, EU sources have said.

Member states have watered down the draft Energy Efficiency Directive so much that only 38% of the initial savings proposed by the European Commission can now be achieved, according to a “non-paper” by the EU Executive seen by EurActiv.

It is essential to review certain regulations regarding aviation security rules and flight times in order to secure an efficient aviation, argues Henrik Dam Kristensen, Danish transport minister.

EU ministers are unlikely to agree draft rules to let countries decide themselves whether to grow or ban genetically modified (GM) crops, despite efforts by Denmark's EU presidency to reach a compromise.

China’s growing water problems make it a likely ally for European efforts to press global action on sustainable development at a UN conference later this year, Denmark’s environment minister said yesterday (25 January).

The European Parliament's environment committee has thrown its weight behind binding energy efficiency targets for member states in a vote held yesterday (20 December). However, there it little chance that these will survive in later versions of the draft energy efficiency directive, EurActiv was told.

Denmark, which takes over the EU's rotating presidency on 1 January, is likely to use the European Commission's Energy Roadmap 2050 as a tool to push through an agreement on the stalled Energy Efficiency Directive. 

With a new government still to be sworn in, Danish diplomats in Brussels are hurrying preparations for Denmark's six-month turn at the EU's helm, due to start in January. But they are under no illusion regarding their ability to shape the agenda, realising that the eurozone debt crisis is likely to "overshadow" the presidency.