European Union energy policy. Green Paper

OBJECTIVE: to provide the European institutions with the information needed in order to evaluate whether or not the Community needs to assume a more important role in the energy sector. The Commission will draw up a White Paper, containing operational proposals, on the basis of the results of a debate with the interested circles. CONTENT: the Green Paper analyses the objectives of a Community energy policy on the basis of the challenges identified, the aim being to guarantee that private and industrial user requirements are satisfied as cheaply as possible under conditions which guarantee security of supply and environmental protection. This debate forms part of the preparations for the 1996 intergovernmental conference, which could result in an "energy" chapter being included in the Treaty. During the process of drafting the Green Paper, a number of omissions and shortcomings in the current energy policy were identified and policy guidelines were singled out which should improve the situation: - consultation and cooperation between energy policy decision-makers and energy policy actors within the Community need to be strengthened in order to help national and Community policies converge; - the internal energy market needs to be completed, especially in the gas and electricity sectors; - a global approach needs to be taken to national and Community energy policies, given that many of the factors which influence these policies are, by definition, transnational; - there is a lack of clarity in the definition of the Community's responsibilities in energy policy (only responsibilities in the nuclear and coal sectors are recognised); - ecological problems need to be examined (classical pollution and CO2 emissions). It is important to make a positive contribution to and follow up the conference on climatic change planned for 1995; - cooperation needs to be strengthened with third countries (countries in the east and in other areas of the world, recognition of the position of the Community in international organisations) - RDT programmes need to be supplemented with support measures and economic instruments to promote the application of technologies on the market.�