About: Maroš Šef?ovi? Archives

Ukraine announced yesterday (30 June) the immediate suspension of all Russian gas purchases after EU-mediated negotiations broke down.

EXCLUSIVE / Stricter EU energy efficiency and performance laws will be rolled out by the European Commission next year, and enforcement of existing regulation will be further stepped up, the bloc’s energy chief today (18 June) told EURACTIV.

Serbia’s new climate pledge for the coming UN summit in Paris has been hailed by the European Commission as an “exemplary” step towards EU accession, even though official figures show that it involves a 15% increase in the country’s emissions by 2030.

Maroš Šef?ovi? would do well to highlight the huge health benefits of climate mitigation and clean energy policies when he visits Serbia 10-11 June, writes Anne Stauffer. 

The time for member states to pull together and address Europe's need for greater energy security has never been better, writes Stephen Woodhouse.

Due to worsening relations with Russia, its increasing dependence on China and fears of destabilisation, Turkmenistan is adjusting its foreign policy and trying to bolster its cooperation with the West in the field of energy and security, writes the Polish think-tank OSW in an analysis.

Smart grids balancing intermittent solar and wind energy with flexible power demand could do for Europe what shale gas has done for the United States, a senior European Union official said on Wednesday (1 April).

Ukraine plans to stop buying Russian gas from 1 April, Ukrainian Energy Minister Volodymyr Demchyshyn said in a briefing today (23 March). The European Commission, which was mediating to ensure gas supplies to Ukraine over the summer, said it was “taking note” of the announcement.

The European Commission aims at concluding an agreement to supply Ukraine with Russian gas until Fall 2016, when an international court will issue a ruling on Moscow's pricing regime, a Commission official said.

SPECIAL REPORT / Private investment in energy-efficient buildings renovation must increase five-fold by 2030, according to a group set up by the European Commission and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Finance Initiative.

The European Commission is on track to launch infringement procedures against member states which have not properly implement EU law about energy efficiency in buildings.

SPECIAL REPORT / EU leaders will discuss strengthening the enforcement of existing energy laws at their 19 March summit, after the European Commission signalled it would toughen its policing of efficiency rules by launching infringement procedures against recalcitrant EU member states.

Turkish concern about over-dependence on Russian energy, and an upcoming election, mean Russia's plans for a new gas pipeline to Southeastern Europe are unlikely to advance as quickly as Moscow might like, Turkish energy officials said today (11 March).

If the Cyprus issue is solved, a lot could be done for the Eastern Mediterranean, for Turkish-Greek relations, for new sources of gas for the EU. But the EU unfortunately lacks a visionary perspective, Selim Yenel, Turkey's Ambassador to the EU, told EURACTIV in an exclusive interview.

Azerbaijan, which has acquired Greek gas transmission system operator DESFA, is wondering why the European Commission is taking so long to decide if the deal is compatible with EU law, Minister of Energy of Azerbaijan Natig Aliyev told EURACTIV.

SPECIAL REPORT / The European Union will not ring-fence funds from the Juncker plan to pay for renovation projects to boost the energy efficiency of buildings, the Commission Vice-President in charge of the €315 billion investment package told EURACTIV yesterday (9 March).

Russia and Ukraine have agreed to discuss a "summer package" of gas supplies late this month, with Kyiv winning an assurance at Monday's EU-mediated talks in Brussels that it would not pay for energy delivered to rebel-held areas.

EXCLUSIVE: The European Union’s flagship energy project will prop up a rogue’s gallery of authoritarian governments responsible for a string of human rights abuses, while not improving gas supply security, civil society organisations have warned.

EU policymakers have unveiled plans for an Energy Union, hailing it as the biggest energy shake-up for more than half a century. Experts told EURACTIV that governance will be a sticking point. Member states will have to play ball for the project to be a success. 

Commission Vice-President Maroš Šef?ovi? said today (25 February) that he is attempting to mediate between Ukraine and Russia, in order to avoid a new gas crisis.