Hybrid meeting: online and in person participation possible.

This meeting is part of a series organized by ERCST on the European Green Deal, which started on 8 January 2020 right after the European Commission’s EGD was announced. This work stream aims to bring together policymakers and stakeholders on a regular basis to take stock of recent developments in the EGD framework.

The climate and environmental policies have had an increasing impact on the EU economy. Environmental and climate policies, by setting the trajectory of the energy transition, shape key components of the EU energy system.

Art. 194 (2) of the TFEU gives Member States a certain leeway to choose between different energy sources and define the general structure of its energy supply. However, after the invasion of Ukraine by Russia, the access to affordable energy and commodities for industry and consumers has been even more constrained by geopolitical circumstances. While in the long term, the EU climate ambition is seen as a key part of the solution, in the short term the political focus has been recently shifted to energy security related issues.

Gas has been expected to play an important role in the EU energy transition, serving as a bridging solution between coal and other forms of decarbonized energy production in some Member States. However the gas consumed in the EU is essentially imported (in 90%) and Russia has a 40 % stake in the market.

The REPowerEU Communication outlines a vision to phase out EU dependence on fossil fuels from Russia before 2030 which is based on two pilars: first, diversification of gas supplies, and second, boosting energy efficiency and increasing the production of renewable energy to reduce our dependency on fossil fuels. Further details will be unveiled by the Commission on May 18^th.

During this meeting we would like to assess the ideas put forward by the Commission from the climate policy perspective, namely to what extent the measures outlined in the REPowerEU Communication represent the most cost efficient way to reduce emissions and meet the EU climate ambitions.

During the previous State of the EGD meeting panelists and audience reflected upon how key files are shaping two years after the EGD communication was first published. During the meeting we also assessed whether the general course of EU energy and climate policies today is coherent with the vision outlined in the EGD communication. The situation has considerably changed over the last few months and therefore a new analysis is required. During this session we would like to encourage panelists to provide their views on the following questions:

• Is the REPowerEU Communication coherent with the long-term EU climate ambition?
• To what extent do the ideas outlined in the REPowerEU Communication represent the most cost-efficient way to reduce emissions?
• What is the role nuclear energy or carbon removal technologies should play in decreasing dependency from Russia?

Workshop materials:

Agenda