How does EU energy governance perform in terms of transparency, accountability, effectiveness and coherence?

The main objective of this briefing note was to explain key features of the EU energy governance related to the ITRE Committee’s mandate and the role of the European Parliament therein.

For doing so the briefing:

  • Described the formal roles and responsibilities of EU institutions in place;
  • Examined the functioning of EU energy governance in practice;
  • Analysed the overlaps, influence and effectiveness of EU energy governance; and
  • Gave recommendations regarding governance issues to take into account by the European Parliament.

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The research concluded that compliance with current targets is not enough to meet final EU policy objectives in the fields of climate, security of supply and competitiveness. Key findings regarding the main characteristics of the energy governance structure in place so far are:

  • The overall structure is based on a limited number of key EU organisations, supported by a large variety of regulatory and executive agencies and within a very diffuse network of stakeholder organisations;
  • Division of responsibilities and interactions between EU and Member States strongly vary per energy objective;
  • A slow but steady trend towards European integration and larger responsibilities for EU institutions in all three objectives, while maintaining sovereignty of Member States over their respective energy mixes;

The analysis led to specific recommendations for the European Parliament regarding energy governance. These recommendations addressed reporting, contacts of the EP with relevant energy organisations and bodies and overall improvement of EU energy governance.

Categories: Climate Agreements and Policies, Climate Change