Editorial of Director Dominique Ristori at the DG Energy Newsletter April 2015
Note Released 01-05-2015
The Energy
Union keeps us busy! Earlier this month I joined Commissioner Arias Cañete and
EU Energy Ministers in Riga for an Informal Energy Council where we furthered
discussions on the Energy Union and in particular the “energy efficiency
first” principle.
We have
already made good progress here: the EU is on track to achieving 18% – 19%
energy saving by 2020 compared to 1990 levels. If all Member States fully
implemented existing laws, we would reach our goal of 20% in 2020. We count on
national governments to properly implement all necessary measures to help us
get there.
In Riga we
focused on heating and cooling, a sector which accounts for 50% of the EU’s
energy consumption – the equivalent to electricity and transport combined. I am
pleased to announce that we will work on a dedicated EU heating and cooling
strategy to structure our work on this and pave the way for further significant
energy efficiency gains.
The Riga
Council also focused on the need for regional energy cooperation. There were strong
calls for the Commission to play a role in this area. In May, we will host a
meeting with Director Generals from Member States to debate the way forward.
Elsewhere,
focus turned to the role of smart grids at the InnoGrid conference held in
Brussels last month. With the massive rise of renewable energy, the sizeable
leaps forward in grid technology and the importance of empowering energy
consumers, it is clear that smart grids are a big part of delivering the Energy
Union.
April also
saw the Madrid Forum where we discussed the creation of an internal gas market,
while Commissioner Arias Cañete and myself also attended the European Economic
Congress in Katowice, Poland, where Energy Union was once more to the fore.
And
finally, the month of May sees the European Commission open its doors to the
public. Come and meet my team on 9 May at the Berlaymont building in Brussels
to find out more about what we’re doing to ensure energy security, reduce your
energy bills and protect our planet. I look forward to meeting you there!
Read the full newsletter