The EU ministers for energy debated secure energy supply at the meeting of the Energy Council in Brussels on 7 December. The Presidency presented a status report on the three elements of the Energy Efficiency Package. The ministers also adopted the formal decision that the new European Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators (ACER) is to be placed in Ljubljana in Slovenia.

Secure energy supply in the EU
The Energy Council discussed various aspects of secure energy supply. The Commission presented a proposal for a regulation on measures to guarantee secure gas supplies. The objective of the regulation is to better define roles and the division of responsibility between the gas industry, Member States and the EU’s institutions. The focus of the proposal lies on preventive measures and emergency preparedness.

The ministers then held a guideline debate on certain central issues in the proposal, for example the division of roles and responsibility between natural gas companies, Member States and the Commission. The ministers reached general agreement on the importance of a well functioning regional cooperation. The issue of the cost allocation for the proposal was among the outstanding issues.

“There was broad support for the Commission’s proposal at the meeting. I am also glad to note that we now have a more secure system for gas delivery than we had a year ago”, said Minister for Enterprise and Energy Maud Olofsson at a press conference after the meeting.

During lunch, ministers discussed the gas situation between Russia and Ukraine as winter approaches. 
 
The Energy Efficiency Package
The Council received a status report from the Swedish EU Presidency on the agreements made with the European Parliament on three proposed directives all included in the Energy Efficiency Package. Energy efficiency has been one of the Swedish Presidency’s top priorities in the area of energy.  Agreements between the Council and the European Parliament have been reached in all legal instruments.

“This shows in a concrete way that we in the EU are prepared to take a leading role in efficient and sustainable use of energy”, said Maud Olofsson.

The first proposal concerns a recasting of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive. The recasting includes a new requirement that all new buildings must be low-energy buildings (nearly zero energy buildings) by 2020 which means that they should have a high level of energy efficiency and must use renewable energy to a significant extent. The role of the public sector as a role model is also highlighted in the directive. All new buildings owned or utilised by the public sector must be low-energy building by as early as 2018. There will also be requirements for increased efficiency on all major renovations of existing buildings. The Council and the European Parliament reached an agreement on the proposal on 17 November this year. 
 
The second draft directive is the Energy Labelling Directive. It is intended to increase consumer awareness of the energy performance of various appliances such as refrigerators, freezers, household ovens and washing machines. The Council and the European Parliament reached an agreement on the proposal on 17 November this year.

The third draft directive concerned a regulation on energy labelling of tyres. The proposal for a regulation on energy labelling of tyres is part of a strategy to reduce consumption of petrol and also to reduce emissions from road traffic. The proposal is about informing the consumer at the point of purchase about the properties of tyres in terms of their effect on fuel consumption, noise level and wet grip. Rolling resistance of tyres accounts for 20 to 30 percent of the fuel consumption of vehicles. The directive is therefore of great importance to the ambition to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from passenger cars and light transportation vehicles. The Council and the European Parliament reached an agreement on the proposal on 1 October this year.

Investments in new energy sources
The ministers commented on a communication from the Commission on how investments in the development of technology with low carbon dioxide emissions (SET-Plan) should be designed.

“It is clear that if we are to have a well functioning energy market we must also coordinate our efforts”, said Maud Olofsson.

The Commission is proposing that public and private investments in the development of low-carbon energy technology should increase significantly in the upcoming ten-year period, from today’s EUR 3 million per year to EUR 8 million per year. The objective of these investments is to contribute to reaching energy and climate goals, create new employment opportunities and strengthen the EU’s growth and competitiveness. 
 
European Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators
The ministers also adopted the formal decision that the new European Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators (ACER) is to be placed in Ljubljana in Slovenia. ACER is to supplement and coordinate the Member States' national energy authorities.