EU report on energy

The European Commission calls on Romania to reduce subsidies in the energy sector and specify the plans and actions it envisages to that end

Mihai Pelin, 19.06.2019, 13:50

The European Commission has recommended
Romania to reduce subsidies in the energy sector and to increase to at least
34% its renewable energy target by 2030. The recommendation was published in
the Commission’s analysis of the draft integrated National Energy and Climate
Plan of Romania covering the period 2021-2030. The Commission makes several
recommendations in the aforementioned document. Romania’s set target for 2030
is 27.9%, and the Commission recommends Romania’s policies should observe the
European Union’s Directive on energy efficiency.

Another recommendation is that
Romania should take steps to reduce both final and primary energy consumption.
To this end, Romania should propose more ambitious policies and measures that
would deliver additional energy savings. As regards natural gas, Romania needs
to specify the measures supporting the energy security objectives on
diversification and reduction of energy dependency, including relevant
underlying infrastructure projects and the elimination of the undue
restrictions to investments in gas production considering the regional
potential of the reserves in the Black Sea.

The Commission’s report also states
that Romania should define forward-looking objectives and targets concerning
market integration, both by fostering competition within the country and by
eliminating barriers to cross-border trade, including export restrictions. Additionally,
Romania should provide a clear outlook to ensure compliance of national
legislation with Union law with respect to open and liberalized markets, while
including targeted measures to protect vulnerable customers. Last but not
least, the European Commission calls on Romania to discuss the needs and
measures addressing the structural changes entailed by the clean energy
transition for mono-industrial regions such as those depending on the coal
industry or other energy-intensive sectors.

The Commission has published its
evaluation of draft plans for member states, including Romania, with a view to
collectively achieving the Energy Union objectives, and in particular, the
Union’s 2030 targets for energy and climate action. The good news is that
Member States have now six months to fulfill their own national targets. The
purpose of the Commission’s recommendations is to help Member States finalize
their plans and implement them effectively over the coming years. This should
provide transparency and predictability of national policies and measures in
order to ensure investment certainty. The recommendations will also help Member
States plan their funding for the upcoming 2021-2027 multiannual financial
framework.

(Translated by V.Palcu)