How can a just energy transition, with consideration of technological innovation and EU industry, be achieved and which lessons should we learn from Germany’s ongoing energy journey?

The European Parliament (EP) is a strong supporter of a common energy policy addressing competitiveness, security and sustainability issues. It calls for coherence, determination, cooperation and solidarity between Member States in facing current and future challenges in the internal market. In line with this ambition, the EP supports the adoption of stronger commitments to the EU’s own targets and has welcomed the SETPlan, with a view that it would make an essential contribution to sustainability and security of supply and would prove to be absolutely necessary for attaining the EU’s energy and climate goals for 2030.  

The EP stressed the need for shared efforts in the field of new energy technologies, both renewable energy sources and sustainable fossil fuel technologies, as well as for additional public and private funding to ensure the successful implementation of the plan. Three key pieces of legislation in the Clean Energy for All Europeans package entered into force as of 24 December 2018 and in recent years the EP has adopted several resolutions strengthening such measures. 

In line with these major resolutions, Trinomics organised an energy transition workshop on behalf of, and in collaboration with, the European Parliament Committee on Industry, Research and Energy (EP ITRE). The workshop took place at the EP’s premises in Brussels on the 19th of February 2019. The workshop included 6 presentations by experts in the field, each followed by a short Q&A session. At the workshop, there was a balance across the different topics of interest: hydrogen, EU industry and lessons learned from the coal phase-out in Germany. Workshop planning began in December 2018 and the full proceedings following the workshop are available here.

In case of further queries please feel free to contact Koen Rademaekers.

The key objectives of the workshop were to:

  • Provide an analytical overview of potential opportunities offered by the energy transition in the EU, illustrated by the role of hydrogen and a specific case of the coal phase-out in Germany; and, 
  • Explore the implications and opportunities of the energy transition for EU industries.  
Categories: Energy, Energy Policy