EU ministers endorse New Energy Policy for Europe

EU energy ministers gave cautious backing on 14 March to proposals for a common EU energy policy ahead of a summit that is set to formally endorse the new strategy at the end of the month.

The ministers said this “New Energy Policy for Europe” should contribute “in a balanced way to security of supply, competitiveness and environmental sustainability” as the three pillars of the new policy.

They also insisted that the new policy should fully respect member state sovereignty over primary energy sources and choice of energy mix.

The key elements of the new policy include:

developing a common foreign trade policy approach vis-