About: Common energy policy

Commission faces EU court over aid to Britain’s Hinkley Point nuclear plant

A German energy cooperative will take legal action against the European Commission for approving state aid for a £16 billion (€22 billion) nuclear power plant in Britain, it said on Wednesday (4 March), arguing it threatens to distort competition.

EU adviser: Energy Union should take ‘holistic approach’

Europe's energy policy is no longer based on a difficult balance between competitiveness, sustainability and security of supply. It has now become a holistic project which includes all these dimensions in a multi-disciplinary approach, argues Jean-Arnold Vinois.

Chemical industry guarded about its European future

The European chemical sector has issued a “very serious” warning about its slumping competitiveness, but refuses to be alarmist just yet, saying shareholders should not worry, that big industrial groups are now global, and less exposed to Europe.

Solvay CEO: ‘We badly need a European energy policy’

Lack of access to affordable energy is the key driver behind the slow erosion of competitiveness in the European chemical sector, warns Jean-Pierre Clamadieu, who urges policymakers to reach agreement on a genuine European energy policy.

Gazprom puts on a tender face

Gazprom has appointed a new head of its export division, effectively the world's most powerful gas trader: Elena Burmistrova, who was swiftly ushered in to talks with President Vladimir Putin.

Re-setting the way to a decarbonised Europe

In its EU Energy Roadmap 2050, the European Commission recognises that Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) is the only technology available to mitigate CO2 emissions from large-scale fossil fuel use. The EU badly needs a successful CCS programme by 2020 and can no longer afford delays, writes Graeme Sweeney.

EU attempts to ‘speak with one voice’ on energy

Günter Oettinger, the EU's energy commissioner, yesterday (7 September) unveiled proposals aimed at strengthening the EU's voice on energy matters vis-à-vis foreign countries such as Russia. But the proposal appears to face an uphill battle.

Hungary to hold ‘energy summit’ at EU helm

Hungary plans to concentrate on the big picture of EU energy policy as it takes on the EU's rotating presidency in January. Energy will feature prominently at the new presidency's first EU summit on 4 February.

Commission to unveil €1trln energy strategy for 2020

The European Commission will present on Wednesday (10 November) its energy strategy for the coming decade, calling for investment of around €1 trillion to secure the bloc's energy needs in a sustainable way.

Parliament chief drums up support for EU ‘energy community’

Europe is at a crossroads: to boost growth and emerge from the economic crisis, it needs to forge an energy community with or without treaty change, said European Parliament President Jerzy Buzek at a meeting with national parliamentarians in Brussels. 

Friis: Growth starts with EU energy community

The EU started out with energy, as a coal and steel union, and 50 years later the bloc needs to draw up a new common energy policy as a precondition for growth, Danish Energy and Climate Change Minister Lykke Friis told EURACTIV in an interview.

Oettinger says Nabucco may be delayed

The completion of the Nabucco gas pipeline may be delayed by four years to 2018, the European Union Energy Commissioner Guenther Oettinger said in an interview published in the Sueddeutsche Zeitung on Thursday (25 March).

EU countries to report about energy investment plans

The European Parliament passed a draft regulation on 25 February allowing the European Commission to obtain more information about major energy projects planned in EU member states. The move was hailed as a step towards a more coordinated EU energy policy.

Oettinger defends European vision on energy

Germany's Günther Oettinger, who has been nominated for the European Commission's energy portfolio, sought to prove his European credentials at his confirmation hearing by outlining plans to enforce energy solidarity and spelling an end to bilateral energy deals with suppliers such as Russia.

Buzek calls for creation of EU Energy Community

Speaking yesterday (4 November) at the opening ceremony of the College of Europe's Bruges campus, European Parliament President Jerzy Buzek identified the creation of a European Energy Community as the next big vision for Europe.

Rodrigues: EU needs ‘greener’ Lisbon Agenda

Maria João Rodrigues, one of the architects of the EU's Lisbon Strategy for growth and jobs, believes the EU needs a revised strategy which is greener, with a stronger focus on climate change and energy. She spoke to EURACTIV in an interview on the sidelines of the European Business Summit.

EU energy policy: Towards a third industrial revolution

"Within a single generation, we can give Europe a truly sustainable energy system," writes EU Energy Commissioner Andris Piebalgs in a February paper for the Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies.

Parliament backs bold plans for EU’s energy future

The European Parliament yesterday (3 February) endorsed a comprehensive blueprint for the bloc's future energy policy, including more ambitious targets on climate change and renewable energies in proposals due to be submitted to EU leaders next month.

Czechs push for greater EU focus on electricity

The EU should focus its attention on building new power production and transmission capacity, because energy security is not only about diversifying supplies away from oil and gas, said speakers at a conference organised by the Czech EU Presidency. EURACTIV Czech Republic reports from Ostrava.

Energy and climate change: Towards an integrated EU policy

At a landmark summit in December 2008, EU leaders reached agreement over an energy and climate change 'package' to deliver the bloc's ambitious objectives of slashing greenhouse-gas emissions and boosting renewable energies by 20% by 2020. The package is designed to reduce the Union's dependency on imported fuels and set the pace of "a new global industrial revolution".

Piebalgs wants EU-wide energy regulator

EU Energy Commissioner Andris Piebalgs has announced his intention to propose a new EU-wide energy regulator, with equal powers to national regulators, and to push for greater independence of national watchdogs.

EU, Africa unveil ‘ambitious’ energy partnership

The partnership will involve investments worth over €600 million to support electrification in Africa as well as renewable energy projects that would help diversify Europe's energy supplies. A further agreement could be reached on Wednesday on a Transaharan Gas Pipeline, nicknamed the 'African Nabucco'.

IEA urges EU to fully liberalise energy markets

The Paris-based International Energy Agency (IEA) has published its first review of EU energy policy, endorsing controversial Commission plans to break up European energy giants and calling for greater cross-border trade in renewable energy among other recommendations.