LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Spring 2007

by Britta Thomsen

Sir,

Sebastian Vos rightly describes the road to a common European energy policy as bumpy. But I think that both citizens and politicians across Europe now recognise the need for a shared energy policy – whether they base their conclusion on the dark prognoses of climate change, the EU’s delicate relationship with Russia or experience of widespread electricity blackouts. But understanding that European energy policies must be coordinated is one thing, taking action quite another.

EU leaders backed the Europe-wide consensus when they clearly endorsed Commission proposals for an EU energy strategy at last May’s European Council. Energy policies have long been the preserve of national governments, so the importance of this agreement should not be underestimated.

The Council also recently supported the Commission’s proposal for an action plan on energy efficiency, underlining a growing awareness that all European stakeholders need to work together to change their patterns of energy use. Terms such as "renewable energy", "efficiency", "low-carbon sources" are suddenly commonplace. However, I must agree with Sebastian Vos that there is still a long way for Europe to go.

We in the European Parliament are working hard to influence the development of a common energy policy. When preparing our opinion on the Commission's Green Paper on an EU energy strategy, we held important discussions about how best to reduce CO2 emissions focus on renewable supplies and increase energy efficiency. The Committee on Industry, Research and Energy decided on a number of proposals that outline the tough initiatives that Europe must take now to achieve these goals. One hopes that its unanimous adoption of these recommendations will have sent a clear signal to the Council about the urgent need for drastic and concrete action.

I am hopeful that the "infant strategy", as Vos calls the joint EU energy policy, will soon grow up to be a responsible adult. As an essential part of this process, the European Parliament has called on member states to set binding targets for CO2 emissions and renewable energy.