“ENERGY PACKAGE”
On Wednesday, November 30, 2016, the European Commission published its “energy package”, consisting of a wave of legislative proposals (more than one thousand pages in total).
According to Maros Sefcovic, the Vice-President of the Energy Commission, these measures will give all European consumers and companies the means to maximise the use of energy transition.
The proposals of November 30 are part of the “climate and energy package” adopted unanimously in autumn 2014, based on three objectives by 2030: greenhouse gas savings of at least 40% compared to the 1990 level, an improvement in the energy efficiency of the EU of at least 27% and a European energy mix including at least 27% of renewable energy.
The legislative proposals cover energy efficiency, renewable energy, the design of the electricity market, security of electricity supply and governance rules for the Energy Union. In addition, the Commission proposes a new way forward for Ecodesign as well as a strategy for connected and automated mobility.
The package also includes actions to accelerate clean energy innovation and renovate buildings in Europe, as well as measures aiming to encourage public and private investment, promote EU industrial competitiveness and mitigate the societal impact of energy transition.
It should be noted that, within the context of the revision of the Renewable Energy Directive, it is expected that suppliers of electricity produced from fossil energy sources will increase by 1% per year, until 2030, the share of renewables in their deliveries. On the other hand, priority of access to the grid that has been enjoyed by electricity from renewable sources since 2009 is being called into question. The Commission proposes to no longer apply this priority access regime for new projects.
Associated areas of specialisation: Energy