ENERGY UNION More Power Or Hot Air
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
THE EUROPEAN AFFAIRS DAILY europolitics.info ENERGY UNION More power or hot air Tuesday 3 February 2015 N° 5022 43rd year www.europolitics.info The European affairs daily - www.europolitics.info Europolitics is the publication of choice for EU professionals and the wider public. Subscribe at [email protected] and get all the latest news about EU policies at your door. THE PUBLICATION OF CHOICE FOR EU Follow us PROFESSIONALS AND THE WIDER PUBLIC EUROPOLITICS_SA Rue d’Arlon, 53 | B-1040 Brussels – Belgium | T: +32(0)2 737 77 09 D13115-AP-Europolitics-UK-V2.indd 1 08/01/14 11:21 Europolitics is the publication of choice for EU professionals and the wider public. Europolitics is the publication of choice for EU professionals and the wider public. SubscribeSubscribe at [email protected] at [email protected] and and get allget the all latest the latest news news aboutabout EU EU policies policies at at your your door. door. Editorial advisors: Correspondents: Layout, photo edition, website: TELEPHONE THE PUBLICATION OF CHOICE FOR EU Follow us Marc Paoloni Athens: Markus Bernath Grégoire Maus Editorial: +32 2 737 77 22 Rory WatsonPROFESSIONALS AND THEBerlin WIDER: Jakob PUBLIC Schlandt Nathalie de Jamblinne EUROPOLITICS_SA Berne: Edgar Bloch Anke Harthoorn E-MAIL is published by EISRue (Europe d’Arlon, 53 | B-1040Reporters: Brussels – Belgium | T: +32(0)2Paris 737: 77 Joël 09 Spaes General: Information Service S.A.), Ed Bray, Marie-Martine Riga: Antoine Jacob Agenda: Zsolt Kozma [email protected] Rue d’Arlon, 53 Buckens, Anne Eckstein, Shanghai: Sébastien Falletti Anca Gurzu, Anke Harthoorn, B-1040 Bruxelles Strasbourg: Olivier Mirguet ADVERTISING: Individual: Manon Malhère, Loreline Warsaw: Jakub Iwaniuk Michel Deurinck fi [email protected] D13115-AP-Europolitics-UK-V2.inddMerelle, 1 Sophie Mosca, 08/01/14 11:21 EDITORIAL TEAM Washington: Brian Beary Sophie Delaval François Paquay, Sophie [email protected] Editorial director: Petitjean, Andreas Rogal, Pierre Lemoine Translators: Isabelle Smets, Ophélie SALES: Virginie Goupy Spanneut, Joanna Sopinska, Aïda Boghossian Editor-in-chief: Nathalie Steiwer, Owen Christina Berta Christophe Garach Stafford, Jorge Valero, Betty Jackson SUBSCRIPTIONS: Nathalie Vandystadt, Michèle Morsa Geneviève Jourdain Editors: Tanguy Verhoosel, Jessica Smith Jelena Laverty Anne Fekete de vari Richard Werly [email protected] Europolitics is published in French Tibor Szendrei Tel: +32 2 737 77 09 under the name Europolitics. Fax: +32 2 732 67 57 ISSN 1811-4121 EUROPOLITICS N° 5022 Tuesday 03 February 2015 3 Contents N° 5022 Top stories FINANCIAL SERVICES INTERVIEW GREECE European insurance sector begins Edgards Rinkevics, minister of Commission may “reconsider” its transformation Page 9 foreign affairs, Latvia Page 12 Troika’s involvement Page 11 Sectoral policies Commission to update maritime ENERGY PREMIUM transport strategy ...................................10 On europolitics.info Energy union Economic & monetary affairs, - EFET signal problems with new Modest but hopeful taxation market transparency platform expectations ...........................................4 Committee of inquiry: Compromise - Offshore wind power levels off in 2015 Breaking national silos at solution in the offing? ...........................10 - Sefcovic wants greater transparency core of project ........................................5 Greece: Commission on energy market Central gas purchasing body: may “reconsider” Ambitions already Troika’s involvement .............................11 shrinking ................................................6 “Energy union needs to External relations be more than EU “Riga has to show that energy policy” .........................................7 the Eastern Partnership No energy union without continues” .............................................12 robust governance ...................................8 Social affairs Financial services, banks, German minimum wage: insurance Moratorium for hauliers .......................13 European insurance sector begins its transformation .........................................9 EU agenda ..........................................14 Pittella on TTIP ......................................9 Open forum Europe and the human highway .................................................16 Sold by subscription only © reproduction strictly prohibited in any language www.europolitics.info 4 INSIGHT Tuesday 03 February 2015 N° 5022 EUROPOLITICS INSIGHT Energy union Modest but hopeful expectations By Anca Gurzu sia-Ukraine gas crisis. It comes amid volatile ability to push forward with its investments global energy developments and recogni- in renewables and energy efficiency when The Commission will unveil its strat- tion of Europeans’ relative failure to deal fossil fuels are becoming more financially egy on 25 February amid volatile effectively with energy challenges. affordable. Commission officials argue EU global energy developments and Member states managed to pave the way energy policies must be much more stable discouraging internal patterns to 2030 last autumn, agreeing on their cli- than the price of a barrel of oil, also pointing mate and energy objectives for the next to the Juncker investment plan as the way to After an hour-long debate about the decade – a move set to guide major ele- get wheels turning. energy union at the Bruegel think tank on ments of the energy union as well. How- Given all these risks, experts are con- 29 January, one of the participants wished ever, the internal energy market remains far cerned that the project may become just a Maros Sefcovic “good luck”. The EU from completed, with the December 2014 repackaging of existing initiatives. Behind energy policy chief, who was heading into deadline having passed by. the scenes, Commission officials acknowl- a meeting with Commission President Jean- The main obstacle is the growing rena- edge the energy union must indeed deliver Claude Juncker and other commissioners tionalisation of energy policies, which jeop- something new, for it to “stick” and obtain involved in the flagship project, answered ardises cooperation and may potentially lead EU-wide approval. quickly: “Thanks, I will need it”. to further fragmentation of the EU energy In a final airing of views, stakehold- With just four weeks to go until the EU market. This is noticeable in technical deci- ers are expected to give their input at a executive unveils the much-awaited energy sions, such as the set-up of capacity markets, major conference in Riga, on 6 February. union strategy, expectations are running but also in the inconsistent way member The Commission will unveil the energy high. Since the final curtain has not yet states are dealing with the Union’s largest union strategy on 25 February, together been raised, all stakeholders have been on energy supplier: Russia. Tensions in the gas with a plan to achieve it, a road map of the offensive the past few weeks, detailing sector leave EU officials re-emphasising the EU climate policies ahead of the climate their priorities, doubts and hopes. importance of diversity of supply. conference in Paris in December, and a The European energy agenda is not new The dramatic fall in oil prices has led communication on how to reach the 10% but became a top priority due to the Rus- some commentators to question the EU’s interconnection target. n © Fotolia www.europolitics.info Sold by subscription only © reproduction strictly prohibited in any language EUROPOLITICS N° 5022 Tuesday 03 February 2015 INSIGHT 5 Breaking national silos at core of project By Anca Gurzu which stronger EU-level regulators cies to make these things happen.” This could see through. is because the Lisbon Treaty clearly The energy union’s success will states that member states maintain the depend primarily on the states’ NATIONAL CULTURE OF FRAGMENTATION right to decide their choice of energy political will. Regulators’ power The EU’s energy system is fragmented mix and energy suppliers – a trump will be decisive into 28 national silos, European Com- card national governments are not mission Vice-President Sef- willing to relinquish. covic said, and the purpose of the energy union “is to Power to regulators break the silo culture wher- ever it may exist”. Not sur- One solution that Sefcovic has repeat- prisingly, the energy union’s edly hinted at would be to strengthen first proposed dimension the role of the Agency for the Cooper- focuses on “supply security, ation of Energy Regulators (ACER), as based on solidarity and trust” well as that of the European Network EU-wide energy solutions of Transmission System Operators could explore ways to set up (ENTSO) for gas and electricity. capacity mechanisms more effi- “This would essentially imply a shift ciently, plan support schemes in power to more centralised bodies, for renewables in a more coor- which would not require a shift in dinated manner and optimise treaties,” according to Zachmann. the use of liquefied natural gas For example, Germany, which is (LNG) networks, according to debating the future of North-South Sefcovic. electricity lines, may decide not to Such technical decisions extend its network because it is using would come with big reper- Polish and Czech electricity lines, cussions for member states, where it is sending extra wind-pro- some winning, others losing, duced electricity. But the move often says economist Georg Zach- causes congestion in these neighbour-