Annual Report 2010 - Verein der Kohlenimporteure eV

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and adapt existing infrastructure, if the EU’s already
adopted climate policy objectives are to be achieved.
Concretely, the Commission wants to agree a 10-year
plan to develop networks, including CO 2 pipelines,
to establish a deadline for their development over the
next twenty years and to streamline national permitting
procedures for projects of European interest.
3. Reinforcing security of supply and consumer
protection
The competitiveness of major economic sectors depends
on secure energy and affordable prices. A functioning
internal market, based on adequate transport and
storage infrastructure, increases security of supply. In
the interests of consumer protection, the creation of an
internal market requires an active competition policy
with harmonised price comparisons and benchmark
performance reports.
4. Leadership in energy technology
In keeping with Europe’s leadership role in the field
of energy technologies, the Commission wants to
initiate four new large energy projects: smart grids,
electricity storage (from large-scale installations to
e-mobility), production of second-generation biofuels
as well as “smart cities”, with reduced primary energy
consumption in the cities.
5. Strengthening the external dimension of the EU
energy market
The Commission requests the EU to bring all its weight
to foreign relations, in order to secure further energy
supplies and routes and to push ahead international
decarbonisation and energy savings by 2020. This
includes, among other things, binding parties to the
Energy Charter Treaty or the development of new
southern routes for electricity and gas.
To support its proposals in the Energy 2020 strategy
on markets, networks and their connection to foreign
sources of energy, the Commission has presented a new
package on energy infrastructure for 2020 and beyond.
The Commission first establishes that Europe’s energy
infrastructure is becoming obsolete and is no longer
adequate, leading to a loss of competitiveness, a lack
of sustainability and inadequate security of supply,
all threatening the achievement of environmental
objectives and failing to create any new jobs. A new,
integrated policy should co-ordinate and optimise
development of energy networks.
The strategy is welcome as is the Commission’s focus
on the development of an energy infrastructure to
ensure adequate energy supply in the future. We must
nevertheless see how the strategy is shaped when the
Commission takes further concrete steps and what
impact these will have.
for their first Energy Summit. It was, however,
overshadowed and dominated by events in Egypt,
proposal to harmonise tax and employment policies.
Important decisions concerning future energy policy
were nevertheless taken. Among others, the following
priority measures, later confirmed by the European
Council, are significant for the coal sector:
1. The Council the 20-20-20 objectives
(for 2020: a 20% CO 2 reduction, a 20% share of
renewable energies in final energy consumption,
and a 20% increase in energy efficiency). Even the
Council considers progress towards this last objective
to be inadequate. As of 1 January 2012, all Member
States should include energy efficiency standards that
contribute towards the efficiency objective in public
procurement of buildings and services. Implementation
of the EU’s energy efficiency measures will be
reviewed in 2013 and further measures considered if
achievement of the 20% objective is not on track.