The Future of the EU Energy Policy




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  • 2015-10-16 19:34:05
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  [caption id="attachment_28930" align="aligncenter" width="950"]Edit Herczog in Panitza Library Edit Herczog in Panitza Library[/caption] On Oct. 13, Panitza Library welcomed the former member of the European Parliament Edit Herczog, who gave a speech on the European Union energy policy. She emphasized the importance of investment in the EU energy sector. Herczog also discussed the insufficiency of the active legislation, the treaties that deal with energy policy, and the prospective solutions. Herczog was a member of the EP from 2004 till 2014. From 2009 till 2014 she occupied the posts Treasurer and Vice President of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats, the second largest political group in the European Parliament. Having worked for two parliamentary terms in the Industry, Research and Energy Committee, Herczog stands for people’s right to have access to electricity. She said failure to fix and secure the energy supply undermines peace and leads to conflicts. Investing in the energy sector should be a priority for the EU, since losing access to electricity in a current digital era means losing data and connectivity. “Energy is the key to building digital economy and society today,” Herczog said. Lack of investment and development in energy policy also poses a societal challenge. Herczog mentioned that high prices and taxes on energy make the EU households and companies pay more, which leads to spending 20 percent of the budget on energy bills. As a result people “fall out of the society and go for candles.” [caption id="attachment_28937" align="alignright" width="950"]Edit Herczog in Panitza Library Edit Herczog in Panitza Library[/caption] Herczog talked about the treaties concerned with energy policy, in particular Euratom and the Treaty of Lisbon, and their shortcomings. Since the enlargement of the EU, the Euratom Treaty, signed in 1957, is not subject to amendment anymore because of the anti-nuclear energy countries like Austria. The Treaty of Lisbon states that energy is each member state’s responsibility. However, according to paragraph 32,  if any member state has problems with energy supply, other member states ought to help. Herczog said that the energy policy remains largely a matter of national competence, and at the EU level other policies are used to replace the energy one. “We do not have a common energy policy, but we have an occasional energy action instead,” she said.  There is no possibility of creating a new treaty or modifying the existing Euratom, however. Thus, in February 2015 the European Commission presented a strategy for creating the European Energy Union within the existing legal frame. According to the project, the 28 national energy markets will be integrated into a single Energy Union. It will be based on five pillars: energy security diversification, internal interconnectedness of the energy market, energy efficiency, emissions reduction, and research and development. The foundations for implementation of the strategy have already been laid. Herczog said that the pillars of the Energy Union will deliver the already agreed promises and are not “some blue-sky ideas.” [caption id="attachment_28938" align="alignleft" width="950"]DSC_1013 (1) Edit Herczog in Panitza Library[/caption] “Before getting acquainted with the plan, I was a bit skeptical about its feasibility,” a third-year student Hristina Mihaylova said. “But the lecture made me realize that it is manageable." Mihaylova said that the proposed union in the energy field would not only benefit those who work towards deeper integration, but will also not be in conflict with those who show the opposite tendencies. "I think the lecture was very engaging and inspiring," Sherzod Shamiev, a third-year student, said. "Mrs. Herczog was one of the policymakers for the EU Energy Union, and for students to meet a politician with such an experience is an immense opportunity to learn and have a first-hand understanding of what is happening." The lecture, organized by professor Jean Crombois, was followed by a Q&A session, which Herczog finished with the words “For more united Europe!”  She also encouraged students to be more engaged in challenges of today’s world, since their generation is the one who will have to deal with them in the future.