The first State of the Energy Union Report shows that much progress
has already been made since the adoption of the Energy Union Framework
Strategy 9 months ago. Still much remains to be done, and 2016 will be
an important year of delivery.
The Energy Union Framework
Strategy created a new momentum to bring about the transition to a
low-carbon, secure and competitive economy. The Commission has also
committed to report annually on the state of the Energy Union in order
to address the key issues and steer the policy debate. The State of the
Energy Union Report, published today for the first time, looks at
progress made over the last nine months and identifies key action areas
for 2016 and provides policy conclusions at Member State, regional and
European level. This is a central element to monitor the implementation
of this key priority of the Juncker Commission.
Maroš Šefčovič,
the Vice-President responsible for the Energy Union, said: "Nine months
down the road, we can say with confidence that we are on track to
deliver the Energy Union. My messages for 2016 are clear. First, the EU
should continue to lead in the transition to a low-carbon economy.
Second, that transition should be socially fair and consumer-centred.
And third, the geopolitical challenges that we faced this year will not
go away. 2016 will also be the year in which we will lay the foundations
of a robust governance system bringing predictability and transparency,
which is what investors need. In sum: 2016 will be a year of delivery!"
Miguel
Arias Cañete, Commissioner for Climate Action and Energy, said: "The
Energy Union is starting to take shape. A lot of progress has been made
in these few months but we should now move to full scale delivery of all
actions needed. This will be my focus in 2016: presenting the
legislation to make our electricity market work better, to further
increase the share of renewables, to bring down our energy consumption
and to ensure security of our gas supply. With this, the EU's energy
system will be stronger and all conditions will be set for the EU's
transition toward a low-carbon energy system. As all eyes turn towards
negotiations in Paris, this a renewed pledge for European leadership and
our commitment to the international efforts to fight climate change."
On climate change, the State of the Energy Union highlights Europe's
contribution to the Paris negotiations. At this stage, more than 160
countries representing more than 90% of global emissions have presented
their contributions to the Paris Agreement. The EU submitted in this
process a binding domestic economy-wide emissions reduction target of at
least 40% by 2030 compared to 1990 levels. After the Paris conference,
it will be important that all countries follow up with concrete
implementation of their commitments.