The Chairman of the European Union Affairs Committee Arto Aas and the members of the Committee discussed issues of energy security, energy internal market and renewable energy at a meeting that took place today in the EU Directorate-General for Energy in Brussels.

“Today, no international summit discusses security issues without broaching the energy security aspects. The deep crisis in Ukraine must be used as an incentive for taking positive steps towards increasing the independence of the European Union energy sector. Freedom always outweighs gas prices,” Aas said.

“Energy security emphasis must always be on the creation of new energy links and finding alternative energy sources. Cooperation on the energy market is also important, starting with a close integration on the regional level and later on a broader scale at the internal market of the EU,” he added.

The participants of the meeting found that a central issue in the development of the energy sector is a wider variety of energy sources in the form of supply, sources and technologies. Yet, the development of nuclear energy cannot be ruled out.

The participants emphasised the need to develop renewable energy where it is cost efficient and ecologically reasonable.

They agreed that the EU energy sector needs changing but that this will not happen easily. Small changes are also important, e.g. influencing the habits and behaviours of the customers through clever power meters.

The development of shale gas was also discussed. Shale gas would diversify the choice of energy sources, but this would not remain the only means of increasing choice.

The Committee met with the Director-General Dominique Ristori, the Director of New and Renewable Sources of Energy, Energy Efficiency and Innovation Marie Donnelly, Head of Internal Market Unit Inge Bernaerts and Acting Head of Unit Kilian Gross. The EU Affairs Committee was represented by Chairman Arto Aas and members Kadri Simson, Erki Nool and Kalle Palling.

The Riigikogu Press Service
 

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