Annual Report 2010 - Verein der Kohlenimporteure eV

2. The Council still considers that a safe, secure, reliable,
available, sustainable and adaptable energy
supply contributes to European competitiveness and
is a priority for Europe. Action at the EU level can
and must bring added value to that objective.
3. The EU needs a fully functioning, interconnected and
integrated internal energy market. Council wants
the internal market to be completed by 2014 so as to
allow gas and electricity to flow freely. Transmission
system operators together with the Agency for the
Cooperation of Energy Regulators (ACER) should
step up their work on market integration and
guidelines, as well as uniform network codes.
4. energy infrastructure is also a
priority, especially to complete the internal market
with cross-border connections and the integrated
development of renewable energy sources. The bulk
of the significant capital costs for infrastructure
investment will have to be delivered by the market
(i.e. network operators) with costs recovered through
tariffs and thus paid by the consumer.
5. The Council also considers security of energy
supply as important and points the Commission –
in the opinion of the coal sector, positively – to the
following, priorities: “In order to further enhance
its security of supply, Europe’s potential for
sustainable extraction and use of conventional
and unconventional (shale gas and oil shale)
fossil fuel resources should be assessed.” By
June 2011, the Commission should also put
forward a Communication on security of supply
and international co-operation aiming to improve
the consistency and coherence of the EU’s foreign
policy in the field of energy.
6. The European Commission is invited to strengthen
its work with Member States on the implementation
of the Renewable Energy Directive, in particular in
regard to consistent national subsidies schemes and
co-operation mechanisms.
in renewable sources of energy as well as in safe
and sustainable long-term low-CO 2 technologies
(e.g. CCS). The Commission is invited to table
new initiatives on smart grids, e-mobility, energy
storage, sustainable biofuels and energy-saving
solutions for cities.
8. The European Council looks forward to the
elaboration of a low-carbon 2050 strategy providing
the framework for longer-term actions in the energy
sector and other related sectors. Reaching the EU
objective of reducing greenhouse gas emissions
by 80-95% by 2050 compared with 1990, as
agreed in October 2009 and as the IPPC considers
necessary by developed countries as a group, will
require a revolution in energy systems, which must
start now. Due consideration should be given to
2050 objective. The European Council will keep
developments under review on a regular basis.
With these conclusions, the Council essentially
confirmed the European Commission’s strategy and
at the same time gave a new mission to the European
Commission: to draft an energy policy for the next forty
years, clearly centred on reductions of CO 2 emissions
and other greenhouse gases. The European Commission
subsequently announced three so-called “road maps” to
be launched in 2011 and establishing guidelines on how
CO 2 emissions might be lowered by 80-95% by 2050,
covering the economy as a whole and including both
transport and energy.
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