EU energy policy

2. The EU wants to be seen at the forefront
of the fight against climate change
The EU has put in place different measures
designed to tackle the problem since 90’s
Climate change is the cornerstone of the EU environment policy
and is supposed to over-reach all EU policies

3. • The EU has been working to tackle climate change since the early 1990s, with negotiation and
implementation of the 1992 UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Kyoto Protocol
1990s
• The Commission launched The European Climate Change Programme designed to help the EU meet
its Kyoto targets
March
2000
• The European Union Greenhouse Gas Emission Trading Scheme (EU ETS) commenced operation as
the largest multi-country, multi-sector greenhouse gas emission trading scheme worldwide
January 2005
• The Commission launched a Second European Climate Change Programme.
October 2005
• European Council set a firm target of cutting 20 per cent of the EU’s greenhouse gas emissions by
2020, rising to 30 per cent if the US, China and India make similar commitments.
Spring 2007
• The Commission released its proposals for a new climate change package
December
2007
• Legislative proposals from climate change package should be adopted this year under the French
presidency
December
2008

4. EU climate change policy
objectives
The EU's overriding priority is to reach an ambitious and comprehensive
international climate agreement for the post 2012 period (Copenhagen Nov.
2009)
Internal aim External aim
Develop an energy policy Pursue international
that helps to reach the EU dialogue and efforts to
commitments on climate convince partners to
change in developing participate in a broader
carbon role of renewables in emissions scheme
the production of energy
and developing energy
efficiency

5. The EU energy dependency is today 54%.
It will be 90% by 2030.
• • •
From 1958 to today 2006 2006 - 2007
Energy is not an European The Commission opened a Raising concerns about the
competence wide debate on a future high oil & gas prices and
European energy policy with worries about Europe's
the publication of a Green increasing dependency on a
Paper few external suppliers
Need to build a common energy policy
Commission proposes its package of proposals “energy for a changing world” to quot;set the pace
for a new global industrial revolution“ and increase EU resilience to future oil-price shocks