Coordinate national energy policies to meet EU objectives, new EURELECTRIC paper says

The European electricity industry has set out its views on the governance of the Energy Union, including the 2030 energy and climate framework. EURELECTRIC’s paper contains a number of recommendations towards building consistent and market-oriented national plans as a foundation for the Europeanisation of energy policies.

Generally, EURELECTRIC supports the development of a holistic governance system which provides for a coherent approach both to the 2030 climate and energy framework and to Europe’s broader “Energy Union” policy objectives. The governance system should ensure that the binding carbon reduction target of 40% remains the centrepiece of the 2030 framework, contributing to progress towards the 2030 targets without compromising security of supply, competitiveness, cost-efficiency and sustainability. The potential for decarbonisation in Europe can only be unlocked with sufficient investment, and EURELECTRIC thus calls for streamlined national plans that provide a predictable and reliable framework for investors, whilst achieving a level playing field for technologies.

Regional cooperation, coordination and solidarity are at the core of the Energy Union, and the governance system should support those principles. Policies that are properly coordinated and assessed in cooperation with other member states contribute to market integration and minimise market distortions across the EU. Regional cooperation also provides opportunities such as pooling resources to facilitate technology development.

Finally, the integrated energy market (IEM) is key for achieving the goals of European energy policy and its governance must be developed with a European mind-set, safeguarding the interests of customers across Europe. To this end, the first step should be developing a vision for the role of ACER.