Emissions Trading System reform: free allowances for industries phased out more quickly and citizens included later in ETS II Broader scope and faster implementation in new carbon leakage instrument Stricter trajectory, more transparency and less flexibility for member states’ greenhouse gas emissions in other sectors New EU carbon sinks goal will increase EU 2030 reduction […]
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New rules for cross-border energy infrastructure
The Council adopted today a revised Trans-European Networks for Energy (TEN-E) Regulation. The new rules aim to modernise, decarbonise and interconnect member states’ cross-border energy infrastructures in order to help the EU achieve its 2050 climate neutrality objectives. The revised regulation also aims to continue ensuring market integration, competitiveness and security of supply. The adoption […]
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Member states agree on negotiating mandate for gas storage proposal
The Council reached a mandate for negotiations with the European Parliament on a proposal on gas storage. In order to improve EU security of supply in the current geopolitical context, the proposal aims to ensure that gas storage capacities in the EU are filled before the next winter season and can be shared between member […]
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Key energy saving actions
The International Energy Agency (IEA) and the European Commission outlined on 21 April 2022 a range of simple steps that citizens can take to reduce their energy use and save money, and that would save enough oil to fill 120 super tankers and enough natural gas to heat almost 20 million homes if adopted by […]
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Energy Council: securing energy supply for all member states
Ministers exchanged views on the energy situation in the EU in the context of the war in Ukraine. This extraordinary Council was an opportunity for the ministers to recall their solidarity with Ukraine and with the member states affected by the suspension of gas deliveries by Gazprom, which was implemented despite the current contracts. Energy […]
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The European Commission and the IEA outline key energy saving actions
The International Energy Agency and the European Commission outlined a range of simple steps that people can take to reduce their energy use and save money, and that would save enough oil to fill 120 super tankers and enough natural gas to heat almost 20 million homes if adopted by all EU citizens. These actions, […]
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EU’s need for natural gas imports reduced to 83% by 2021
In 2021, the EU’s natural gas import dependency rate was 83%. This is 1 percentage point (pp) less than 2020 (84%). This small decrease in import dependency was significantly influenced by the fact that most EU Member States used stocks of natural gas that were imported in previous years. In fact, the drop in natural gas stocks in 2021 was […]
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Green Deal: EP backs updated guidelines for trans-European energy infrastructure
Parliament approved on Tuesday new rules for selecting which energy projects can receive EU funding and aligning the existing regulation with the EU’s Green Deal. The legislation, agreed upon with Council in December 2021, sets criteria and the methodology for choosing energy projects of common interest (PCIs), such as high-voltage transmission lines, pipelines, energy storage facilities and […]
Read MoreCommission carries out unannounced inspection of Gazprom sites in Germany
On 29 March 2022, the European Commission carried out unannounced inspections at the premises of several companies in Germany active in the supply, transmission and storage of natural gas. The Commission has concerns that the inspected companies may have violated EU competition rules that prohibit abuse of a dominant position. The Commission officials were accompanied […]
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