Climate Change
Europe’s transition to a low-carbon society
The Energy Union: boosting resilience, supporting innovation, empowering people
by Maroš Šefčovič, Vice-President for the Energy Union, European Commission, Brussels
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here is a proverb saying: if you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together. With the Energy Union, I am convinced we have been managing both – going far at a fast pace. Some three years since the publication of the Energy Union Strategy, the European Commission has tabled all proposals needed for us to deliver. Guided by our commitment to climate action and by economic sense, our ambition is to put in place a new legal framework that will enable this profound transformation of Europe’s energy systems and the modernisation of our entire economy.
How to end fragmentation When I took on the responsibilities of the Vice President for the Energy Union, the EU’s internal energy market was fragmented. Despite rules set at the European level, there were in fact 28 national regulatory frameworks in place. The retail market was not satisfactory, with little choice of energy suppliers and little control over energy costs. The existence of so-called energy islands relying on a single gas supplier due to a lack of adequate interconnectors was of particular concern in the context of a worrying geopolitical atmosphere. The clean energy transition was more of a concept than a set of convincing actions, let alone results. In 2015, we therefore decided to address this and the prospective challenges by creating a true European Energy Union. I believe it is the most ambitious energy project since the Coal and Steel Community was launched in the 1950s. Based on five pillars – energy security, solidarity and trust; a fully-integrated
European energy market; energy efficiency; decarbonisation; and research, innovation and competitiveness – the Energy Union is precisely delivering on all these issues. (See box p. 38)
Clean energy and energy efficiency The launch of the Clean Energy for All Europeans package centred on renewables, energy efficiency and consumers was a particularly important milestone. Our most recent hat-trick – a political deal on the EU’s 2030 targets of 32% renewable energy and a 32.5% increase in energy efficiency, as well as the Energy Union’s governance – proves we are on track. Now I am looking forward to receiving Member States’ draft energy and climate plans by the end of the year so we can make their first assessment in the first quarter of 2019. These plans send a crucial signal of clarity and predictability to investors whom we need to invest here. I am convinced that what we do today – not tomorrow – will define the EU’s place on the geopolitical map of this century and make us frontrunners, followers or laggards of the 4th industrial revolution. Because our competitors also understand that a nation that leads in the clean energy economy will lead the global economy. And I want the European Union to be this leader, capitalising on our early mover advantage.
Future-proof energy infrastructure I have made it imperative to engage with people during my Energy Union Tours across all Member States. When asked to sum up our vision in a sentence, I often mention three tasks – first, to secure enough energy, then to replace fossil fuels with renewables and finally to use clean energy to charge and transform our economy. During this process, our consumers are becoming empowered ‘prosumers’. When it comes to energy security, our philosophy has been clear: an Energy Union based on trust, solidarity and unity
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