The European Commission (EC) has presented its energy security package with necessary proposals to equip the EU for global energy transition as well as to be prepared for possible energy supply interruptions.
The package sets out a wide range of measures to strengthen the EU’s resilience to gas supply disruptions, according to EC. Energy security dimension is one of the cornerstones of the Energy Union strategy, a key political priority of the Juncker Commission.
The measures include moderating energy demand, increasing energy production in Europe, including the renewable energy generation, further developing a well-functioning and fully integrated internal energy market, as well as diversification of energy sources, suppliers and routes.
Maroš Šefčovič , Vice-President responsible for Energy Union, said: “The Energy Union Strategy, launched one year ago, promised to provide all Europeans with energy which is secure, sustainable, and competitive. Today’s package focuses on the security of our supply, but touches upon all three overarching goals. By reducing our energy demand, and better managing our supply from external sources we are delivering on our promise and enhancing the stability of Europe’s energy market.”
Commissioner for Climate Action and Energy, Miguel Arias Cañete , said: “Today’s proposals are about a reliable, competitive and flexible system in which energy flows across borders and consumers reap the benefits. They are about standing together to protect the most vulnerable. And they are about securing our clean energy future: I can assure that our commitment to a clean energy transition is irreversible and non-negotiable.”
The energy security package is presented in the light of the new global and universal agreement on climate change, adopted by world leaders on December 12, 2015, in Paris. The Paris agreement sent a strong signal to businesses and policy-makers placing clean energy on an irreversible pathway and setting the scene for a global energy transition, EC states.