Extraordinary meeting of EU Energy Ministers
Greens want to drive the EUs Energy Strategy into another direction
Commenting on the extraordinary Energy Council which takes place today in Brussels, Claude Turmes and Rebecca Harms, Green MEPs, said :
" The future of European energy policy will be decided over the coming days. However the European Commission's Green Paper on "A European Strategy for Sustainable, Competitive and Secure Energy" , is a "non-starter". The Commission's proposals are far too limited in certain key areas and misdirected in others. The Green group is calling on EU Energy Ministers to change the direction of the paper.
Insisting on the promotion of nuclear energy is irresponsible. If we are serious on delivering a sustainable and secure energy for Europe there can be no place for a technology associated with such big risks. The danger of nuclear accidents, the proliferation of nuclear weapons, terrorism and the unresolved problem of the storage of radioactive waste create a strong argument against it. It is unacceptable to put nuclear energy on a par with forward-looking technologies in the area of energy efficiency or renewables. The most important aspect of energy policy in Europe must be energy saving. Ambitious initiatives are necessary to tackle the challenge of the climate change and the ballooning of worldwide energy demand.
While the Green Paper highlights the important role of energy saving and energy efficiency,it fails to set clear targets and tools."
"There is also a need to take a stronger position in the area of competitiveness. The newly formed monopoly and oligopoly must be broken up. The EU must scrutinise merger plans and take steps to avoid a further damaging market concentration. The development of an internal EU market requires a comprehensive split of energy production and energy distribution. We support the demand of Commissar Kroes for a total structural unbundling. Until now, in several countries, individual companies can prevent competitors from entering the market, since they control as well the electricity offer as the grid. This prevents any real competition in the market."
"The EU Energy Ministers have also to make sure that the transport policy is taken into account. Otherwise the Green Paper will not be able to tackle the climate change challenge."
Energy Council Conclusions (pdf)
Energy Council question to Ministers (pdf)
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