Alex White, Irish Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources and chairman of the PES Energy Ministers’ network, stated: “Our exchange with Commission Vice-President Šefčovič has shown that nine months after its inception, the Energy Union has started on a good track, but that a lot of work still lies ahead of us to decarbonise our economies and to be more independent from energy imports. It is very encouraging that Commission Vice-President Šefčovič focuses on an Energy Union that is tailored to the needs of consumers, and in particular to vulnerable energy consumers. We energy ministers dedicated a specific agenda point to this issue and discussed concrete measures to make energy poverty in Europe history.“
PES Energy Ministers also discussed the state of play of the United Nations World Climate negotiations, COP21, which will take place in Paris from 29 November to 10 December under the presidency of the socialist-led French government.
Alex White added: “The prospects are tangible for concluding an international climate agreement that is legally-binding for all countries, dynamic to adapt to new circumstances, and brings us closer to limiting global warming to below 2 degrees, as demanded by our political family. We PES Energy Ministers stand ready to build a strong Energy Union that makes Europe a credible global climate leader by example and a role model. It must demonstrate that clean energy can be affordable for all and that it can maintain and enhance industries competitiveness.“
Participants’ list:
- Alex White, Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Chairman of PES Energy Ministers’ network, Ireland
- Vazil Hudak, Minister for Economy, Slovak Republic
- Yiannis Maniatis, Former Minister of Energy and Environment, Greece
- Maros Sefcovic, Commission Vice-President for the Energy Union
- Johan Vande Lanotte, former Deputy Prime Minister responsible for Energy, sp.a spokesperson for energy policies in the federal parliament, Belgium
