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05-08-2014_Event-2

The European Union's Common Energy Policy - Potential and Limits

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

The IEF was honoured to receive Dr Oliver Koch, Deputy Head of Unit, DG Energy, European Commission at IEF Headquarters to deliver an IEF lecture on "The European Union's Common Energy Policy - Potential and Limits".

EU energy policy has become increasingly important in recent years, shifting away from an entirely national matter to a core policy of the European Union. One driver for this development is certainly the liberalisation of national energy markets and the project to create a barrier-free EU-wide energy market, following the successful example of other sectors. Another reason for the rise of EU Energy Policy has been the experience that cross-border cooperation is crucial to guarantee security of supply in the 28 Member States. Finally, coordination has proven to be indispensable to achieve the European Union's ambitious decarbonisation goals.

The European Commission is a member of the International Support Group of the International Energy Forum.

The work of the European Commission's "energy ministry" ("Directorate-General for Energy") focuses on reaping the benefits of cooperation and aggregation in the field of energy, notably by

  • Creating an EU-wide Internal Energy Market through an alignment of national legislation on energy transport and energy trade
  • Supporting the development of new cross-border infrastructure to foster market liquidity and security of supply
  • Coordinating security of supply to allow for mutual support in case of supply disruptions
  • Promoting the use of renewable energy in a market compatible manner
  • Developing strategies for energy efficiency in the EU
  • Cooperation with third countries in energy matters.

Key Links

The European Commission's DG Energy Website

Key Documents

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