EU Energy Council meeting to zero in on internal energy market

21 Feb 2013

Ireland's Energy Minister Pat Rabbitte

Ireland’s Energy Minister Pat Rabbitte, TD, will be in Brussels tomorrow to chair a meeting of the Transport, Telecommunication and Energy Council during which EU energy ministers will be discussing issues such as the internal energy market.

Speaking in advance of the one-day meeting, Rabbitte said the priorities of Ireland’s presidency of the EU are stability, jobs and growth.

“The areas which the Energy Council will be discussing, including the internal energy market and identifying the best approach to meeting renewable targets, will have a major impact on this agenda,” he said.

Some of the main items EU energy ministers will be discussing tomorrow include the 2014 deadline for the completion of the internal energy market and the indirect land-use change (ILUC) legislative proposal to amend the directives on the promotion of the use of energy from renewable sources and on fuel quality.

Rabbitte will be chairing a debate on the ILUC legislative proposal, which is aimed at addressing the issue of the impacts of indirect land-use change in relation to greenhouse gas emissions due to the production of biofuel used in the EU in meeting renewable energy targets.

The Energy Council meeting will also feature a policy debate that will focus on member state priorities in order to successfully complete the internal energy market by 2014. This debate is also set to explore ways to increase the role of consumers in the EU energy market.

Carmel Doyle was a long-time reporter with Silicon Republic

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