"The urgent need to tackle climate change, the economic difficulties of people in Europe, widespread youth unemployment together with an unstable geopolitical context all argue in favour of creating an effective, pragmatic and sustainable Energy Union" these were the words of Pascal Mangin, the CoR's energy union rapporteur, during a meeting of the ENVE Commission yesterday. The European Commission's White Paper on the Energy Union is of particular relevance to the Committee of the Regions, not only because local and regional authorities are primary users, but also because energy is a pillar of the European Union's territorial and social cohesion.
The European Union has a significant regulatory framework in place for energy, but at the same time still has 28 sets of national legislation. The Member States retain sovereignty in choosing their energy policies, particularly in defining an energy mix reflecting the specific features of each country. However, regional planning policies and the lack of financial and technological solidarity within the Union have added to the energy costs of consumers. The Committee of the Regions therefore states its support for energy solidarity between consumers by means of energy bills. The implementation of these provisions must be flanked by greater transparency so that all consumers can see the cost of this energy solidarity on their energy bills.
Underlining that local authorities have a decisive part to play in setting up the Energy Union, the rapporteur proposes the following seven actions:
- Create a European territorial forum to forge closer links between rural, urban and suburban areas on a European scale;
- Ensure the security of production needs through smart grids and innovative solutions in the field of energy efficiency, renewable energy sources, soft mobility and carbon capture and storage;
- Ensure the presence of local and regional authority representatives on the European Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators (ACER) and among national regulators;
- Define energy poverty at European scale in order to frame targeted policies for each region and local area;
- Make energy a pillar of territorial cohesion by accepting regional discrepancies and mobilising the Structural Funds;
- Using cross-border areas as Energy Union test-beds;
- Promote energy efficiency by mobilising local resources, developing the best-suited techniques, innovating and creating local jobs at local level