The Presidency of the Council of the European Union is a premiere, an honor and a challenge for Romania. The beginning of 2019 will mean for our country taking over the Presidency of the Council of the EU for a period of six months, during which Romania will be at the center of the European decision-making process, playing an important role in facilitating the process of reflection on how to develop and strengthen the European project, the negotiation process for the development of the acquis communautaire and, implicitly, for strengthening the cooperation of the Member States of the Union.
In order to prepare its mandate, Romania needs to formulate and finalize the topics of interest on which future debates will focus, and this process needs to be carried out in a way that testifies to the democratic and deliberative spirit of public institutions, civil society and citizens.
The Forum for public consultation, communication and debate in preparation for the Romanian Presidency of the Council of the European Union “EU-RO 2019“ responds to all these requirements, and the Oil and Gas Employers' Federation (FPPG) took part, on February 8 and 26, 2018, in the two meetings of the Energy Working Group. The discussions held between no less than 12 associations representing the different branches of the industry and non-governmental organizations with expertise in the energy sector outlined the main energy policy proposals that will contribute to the preparation of Romania's mandate for the EU Council Presidency.
The FPPG proposed and motivated that for the next period, more attention should be paid to the decarbonization of the energy sector and to ensure the transition to a low CO2 emission economy, all the more so in the context in which Romania, as an EU Member State, has set ambitious targets for reducing CO2 emissions.
The proposals supported by the FPPG include:
- Increasing energy efficiency - aimed at reducing local pollution, increasing energy security, educating end-consumers on responsible energy use.
- Reducing energy poverty and protecting vulnerable consumers.
- Promoting the digitization of energy networks - setting the regulatory framework for incumbents.
- Keep fossil fuel power producers.
All the proposals have been forwarded to the Ministry of European Affairs, and after analyzing the proposals made by the working group, the representatives of the Ministry will decide which proposals will be included on the final agenda of the EU Council meetings.
The Council of the European Union is where ministers from the member states meet to pass laws and coordinate European policies.
