Consultation Period: 21/12/2010 to 21/02/2011

The aims of the EU energy policy, as set in Article 194 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU, are to ensure the functioning of the energy market, to ensure security of energy supply in the Union, to promote energy efficiency and energy saving and the development of new and renewable forms of energy, and to promote the interconnection of energy networks. These aims have to be pursued in a spirit of solidarity among Member States. None of them can successfully be met without taking into account major evolutions on the energy scene beyond the EU borders.

The external dimension therefore needs to be a full part in the recent and forthcoming initiatives in the energy field. This will require a coordinated, efficient and prioritised external energy policy. For this reason the Communication “Energy 2020 – A strategy for competitive, sustainable and secure energy” recognised the need to strengthen the external dimension of the EU energy policy as one of the key priorities in the coming years.

The objective of the consultation is to seek interested parties’ views on possible priorities and possible new initiatives in the field of external energy policy.

Source:EU consultation