8 maart: Commissie presenteert Groenboek over Europees energiebeleid

Woensdag 8 maart: Green paper on European Energy Policy

The news :

• Europe is becoming more and more reliant on imported energy. If no measures are taken in the next 20 to 30 years around 70% of the Union's energy requirements, compared to 50% today, will be covered by imported products.
• At present roughly half of the EU's gas consumption comes from only three countries (Russia, Norway, Algeria). If present consumptions patterns continue, gas imports are likely to increase to 80% over the next 25 years.
• According to the intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, greenhouse gas emissions have already made the world one degree hotter and if no action is taken we will cause a further increase of between three and five degrees this century.
• In Europe alone, to meet expected future energy demand and to replace aging plant and infrastructure, investments of 600 billion euros will be needed over the next 20 years.
• Those are some of the problems Europe is facing in the field of energy. A more focussed European energy policy can make an increased contribution to the core objectives that underpin energy policy at both national and Community level: competitiveness, security of supply and sustainable development. The Commission plans to adopt on 8 March a green paper that outlines possible means for the EU to meet these challenges.

The event :
Press conference with President José Manuel Barroso and Andris Piebalgs, Commissioner for Energy at the Berlaymont in Brussels
[Graphic in PDF & Word format] Available on EbS

The sources :
European Commission :
http://www.europa.eu.int/comm/energy/index_en.html
Energy and transport report 2000-2004:
http://www.europa.eu.int/comm/dgs/energy_transport/doc/dg_tren_bilan_2000_2004_en.pdf
Green Paper : Towards a European strategy for the security of energy supply :
http://www.europa.eu.int/comm/energy_transport/en/lpi_lv_en1.html
Green paper on Energy Efficiency :
http://ec.europa.eu/comm/energy_transport/en/lpi_lv_en1.html
Eurobarometer on Energy :
http://www.europa.eu.int/comm/energy/home/doc/2006_01_24_ebs_247_en.pdf
[Graphic in PDF & Word format] An image bank will be available

The contacts :
Ferran Tarradellas +32 2 296 6293 ; Marylin Carruthers +32 2 299 9451