Energy Union – the year of engagement

The Third Report on the State of the Energy Union shows that Europe’s transition to a low-carbon society is becoming the new reality on EU’s ground. Thanks to progress in 2017, the EU is on track to implement the Energy Union  project and deliver jobs, growth and investments. Enabling actions are being put in place to support a socially fair clean energy transition.

Now, the time has come to mobilise the society – citizens, cities, rural areas, companies, academia, social partners – to take full ownership of the Energy Union, take it even forward and engage actively in developing the solutions of the future.

The Third State of the Energy Union Report published today tracks the progress made over the past year after the publication of the Second State of the Energy Union in February 2017 and looks forward to the year ahead.

The Third State of the Energy Union also confirms that energy transition is not possible without adapting the infrastructure to the needs of the future energy system. Energy, transport and telecommunication infrastructure are more and more interlinked. Local networks will become ever more important in the daily lives of European citizens, who will increasingly switch to electro-mobility, decentralised energy production and demand response. Considerable achievements have been made but bottlenecks remain particularly in the field of electricity. To address this, the Commission today adopted a Communication on the 2030 electricity interconnection target of 15%. It also adopted the third list of Projects of Common Interest (PCI).

Commenting on the report Maroš Šefčovič, the Vice-President responsible for the Energy Union, said: “The Energy Union will only succeed if we all pull in the same direction. The aim is to deliver on our commitment to complete the Energy Union by the end of the Commission’s current mandate. By 2019, the Energy Union must no longer be a policy but a daily reality benefitting every European citizen. This will require increased ownership by all parts of society. Therefore, I see the next year as the year of engagement”.

Miguel Arias Cañete, Commissioner for Climate Action and Energy, said: “Europe’s energy transition is well underway, with record levels of renewable energy and rapidly falling costs. But Europe’s energy infrastructure must develop in the same direction and with the same speed to fully support this energy transition. That’s why we are proposing to focus the new list of projects on key electricity interconnections and smart grids. Today’s steps to boost clean energy infrastructure are another important move towards making our energy system more sustainable, more competitive and more secure – providing genuine European added value”.

Source: European Commission – Energy
Energy Union – the year of engagement