Energy Policy

2009-2010: follow-up and spin-off events of the EEAC Statement "Towards Sustainable European Infrastructures"
2009: Towards Sustainable European Infrastructures
For the main outcomes of the past years, please continue reading the archived pages

2009-2010: follow-up and and spin-off events of the EEAC Statement "Towards Sustainable European Infrastructures"

Chair: Christian Hey, German Advisory Council on the Environment (SRU)

The Chair's comments on the European Commission's stock taking document “Towards a new Energy Strategy for Europe 2011 – 2020”

Recently, the WG commented on “Stock Taking Document” of the European Commission, called “Towards a new Energy Strategy for Europe 2011 – 2020”. These comments relate to the arguments proposed in the EEAC Statements of 2008 and 2009 outlining energy infrastructure policy needs from a long-term perspective. The WG welcomes the reflections launched in the consultation paper, but the choices ahead should be communicated in a clearer, transparent and open way. In this document, the WG puts full decarbonisation forward as criterion for the primary selection of different energy technology pathways, and in this context it also considers other sustainability criteria.

Ultimately, a transition scenario towards a 100% renewable power sector therefore should be one of the options to be considered for 2050 Road-Map and effectively compared with other power mix scenarios.

As the European Commission has indicated, the existing framework for TEN-E is insufficient and needs to become “more strategic, coherent and better resourced”. In that respect, the role of ACER also needs to be strengthened.

Download document containing the Chair's comments (pdf.)

Workshop "Scenarios and Policies for Decarbonisation"

On March 22, the WG Energy held a workshop in the premises of the EESC (European Economic and Social Committee) in Brussels with the title "Scenarios and Policies for Decarbonisation". This event was also registered under the activities within the European Sustainable Energy Week (EUSEW). The workshop's purpose is to bring some of the scenario writers on energy together and to discuss common and diverging assumptions, methods and outcomes. Eventually this will lead also to some shared policy conclusions. Christian Hey, chair of the Working Group Energy, initiated this event, as a follow-up to the EEAC 2009 Statement "Towards Sustainable European Infrastructures" where 10 steps towards decarbonisation are highlighted. The workshop focused on the analysis of the Eurelectric study "Power Choices - Pathways to Carbon-Neutral Electricity in Europe by 2050".
In his conlcusion, the WG Chair states that that renewable sources in Europe have the potential to provide most if not all the electricity needed. 100% RES (Renewable Energy Sources) for electricity can be achieved at competitive costs while respecting biodiversity and while ensuring that the electricity demand is met at all times. The scenarios illustrate, that electricity from renewable sources may become the sustainable solution to our electricity system.
Read more.

Furthermore, the WG will contribute to one of the priority topics identified by the Forward Looking Paper, namely "Going beyond the New Green Deal".

2009: "Towards Sustainable European Infrastructures"

Chair: Christian Hey, German Advisory Council on the Environment (SRU)

Main outcome 2009

During 2009 the Working Group Energy (WG Energy) prepared the EEAC Annual Conference and Statement 2009 (pdf., 500 kB) "Towards Sustainable European Infrastructures" with the focus on transport, energy and green networks. In the point of view of the WG, the success of the EEAC 2009 Conference and Statement is outreach, with attendance from the Commission, EESC, ESDN, and interest by the European Movement. A press release summarises the highlights of the 2009 Statement.

In January the WG met in Brussels to prepare the theme for the 17th Annual conference 2009. The group discussed to change the name of the Conference and Statement into: Towards Sustainable European Networks. For the statement the WG agreed on: the overall orientation of the statement introduction, where the link to the EEAC statement 2008 should be made more explicit; that the message of the transport infrastructure needs to address more fundamental aspects of a transition rather than individual instruments/modes; focusing on the point to keep the options for a transition towards renewables open; following the suggestion from Comhar for the idea "Green Networks". For the Conference the WG agreed on: some invited speakers to be contacted; one working group in the conference day to be an experimental case for a interactive approach with a specific technical solution provided by the CEPRS (SLO) and a special event, Risk prevention from Maritime Oil and gas Transport, to be organised by the Croatian host, SORZO (HR), on Thursday 21 October.
In April the WG Energy met in Berlin and continued the preparations for the annual conference and the statement 2009. The WG also settled a timetable for the forthcoming work. A tele-conference was held on 25 May to follow-up this process, this resulted in a full draft of the Statement at the end of May.
In June councils with delegates in the WG were asked to endorse the Statement. 19 councils in total endorsed the document.
In October the Statement was officially presented at the Annual Conference in Dubrovnik together with a press release. The WG also initiated the dissemination process towards stakeholders.
In December the WG Biodiveristy chair Noel Casserly (COMHAR-SDC, IE) met with representatives of the DG Environment and presented the part of the 2009 Statement on green infrastructures.

download the 2009 Statement and the press release

For the main outcomes of the past years, please continue reading the archived pages