As winter approaches, EU countries are getting more serious about how they can work together to overcome a possible gas shortage. In the Council today, the Energy Working Group discusses the Commission’s proposals of Oct. 18, which deal with solidarity-based gas supplies and measures against high prices. Because of the “political sensitivity”, however, the Council […]
There was great joy in May last year. “We want to become the world’s number 1 in hydrogen technologies,” said Peter Altmaier, then Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy, holding a map in his hand. On it: 62 projects from German industry that the Ministry for Economy and the Ministry of Transport had selected. […]
US President Joe Biden threatened it earlier this week, and the new British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is expected to extend it, according to former World Climate Conference President Alok Sharma. The excess profits tax for oil and gas companies has gained renewed explosiveness recently – also because of new record figures.The French group Total […]
Against the backdrop of the energy crisis, the Commission has extended the Temporary Crisis Framework until the end of 2023. On Oct. 28, the Directorate General for Competition published the second amendment to the Temporary Crisis Framework (TCF). In it, the maximum allowable contributions for state aid are greatly increased compared to the previous version […]
The Parliament postpones its decisions on the internal gas market package. The Industry Committee will not adopt its report on the regulation and directive at the end of November as planned, but only on Jan. 24. This was agreed by rapporteurs Jens Geier (SPD) and Jerzy Buzek (EPP) on Friday, as Europe.Table has learned. The […]
Reducing debt while simultaneously boosting investment is the feat that must be achieved in reforming the European debt rules. On Nov. 9, the Commission plans to present its proposal for reforming the Stability and Growth Pact. Christof Roche has found out what rules are up for discussion.Today marks the end of the Platform on Sustainable […]
Yesterday in Luxembourg, the energy ministers set a timetable for further measures to ensure permanently low electricity and gas prices. Luxembourg’s Head of Department Claude Turmes said, the EU, in cooperation with the International Energy Agency (IEA), is preparing a ministerial meeting on joint gas purchasing early next year. The US, Japan, South Korea, and […]
Since the outbreak of the energy crisis, a special kind of political theater has been taking place in Brussels: the sham rapprochements between the Council and the Commission. This could be observed once again at the EU Council meeting this early Friday morning. On the one hand, there are the pseudo work orders from the […]
A dispute erupted in the German governing coalition over whether to remain in the Energy Charter Treaty. The international agreement protects energy infrastructure investments such as gas pipelines and power lines. The liberal FDP parliamentary group opposes the efforts of German Economy Minister Robert Habeck (Greens) to withdraw from the agreement.“The government already ruled out […]
German utilities Eon, RWE, VNG and Uniper will advise the EU Commission on joint gas procurement. On Wednesday, the Commission published a list of 36 companies and associations it has selected for the energy platform’s advisory board. The members are supposed to help the Commission make the EU less dependent on Russian gas supplies, according […]