Trinomics has been awarded a study contract by the European Parliament’s ITRE Committee to produce a briefing paper on ‘EU energy governance: how does it work?’. In May 2014 a new European Parliament (EP) was elected. This means also that a new ITRE Committee will start its work soon, with in it new members that will have to find their way quickly into the complex world of European energy policies. The new ITRE Committee therefore needs a quick starters’ guide into the governance of EU energy policies. That holds even more as energy is one of the priority areas of the new European Commission, with a Vice-President for Energy Union and a Commissioner for Energy and Climate Action already appointed. Also, at the beginning of 2014 the Commission has outlined a proposal for a new governance framework for 2030.
The aim of this assignment is to produce a comprehensive, yet short and easy-to-grasp briefing note explaining the main features of the EU energy governance related to the ITRE Committee’s mandate. This briefing note will also assess whether EU energy governance works well in terms of transparency and accountability, effectiveness and coherence. The specific objectives are to:
- Describe the formal roles and responsibilities of EU institutions in place;
- Examine the functioning of EU energy governance in practice;
- Analyse the overlaps, influence and effectiveness of EU energy governance; and
- Give recommendations regarding governance issues to take into account by the EP.
If you have any questions or comments, don’t hesitate to contact Jeroen van der Laan.
