The high-hanging fruit of the Energy Union
Julia Michalak and Krzysztof Blusz*
Donald Tusk is celebrating his first 100 days as President of the European Council just as the European Council looks at a common strategy for the Energy Union, a topic that must be dear to him. Within the last year the initiative that Tusk launched as the Polish PM, successfully gained wider traction and became one of the flagship projects of the new European Commission.
The Energy Union proposal still reflects elements of Tusk’s plan on energy security, but the Commission’s vision is certainly more strategic and holistic. It does not reject Tusk’s call for diversifying gas supplies and increasing security but brings a wider vision on climate protection and energy consumption, essential aspects of a credible forward-looking energy strategy for Europe. Instead of looking solely at diversifying energy sources with more routes and more suppliers, the Commission points out that “the key drivers of energy security are the completion of the internal energy market and more efficient energy consumption”.
The Commission proposes a system-wide energy strategy for a low-carbon energy union where also renewable energy and energy efficiency play an important role in making Europe more resilient to supply shocks. Where Donald Tusk, as Polish PM, may have neglected the security potential of renewable energy, moderation of energy demand and more efficient energy consumption, he can no longer do that in his current role. As European Council President his challenge is to ensure EU’s climate and energy objectives are aligned and mutually reinforcing, instead of decoupled or in contradiction.
Remarkably, Tusk’s task to steer the debate about enhancing the EU’s energy security in the wider, low-carbon context became easier after last year Poland won a generous compensation as part of the 2030 climate deal and after last month the Polish parliament passed a law introducing feed-in tariffs for small scale decentralised renewable energy installations. He does not have to fear a harsh judgement in Warsaw where understanding of a broader concept of energy security is growing and a constructive debate about the EU climate agenda is emerging.
Donald Tusk is certainly aware that Member States unwilling to cooperate on low-carbon development may remain off the mainstream of the EU’s energy debate, while those in support will move forward grasping economic and political benefits. For Poland it is crucial to make a firm decision on which path to follow. For Europe it is crucial to unite and work together to reach the next level of the European integration and overcome today’s energy security challenges in a sustainable way. For Tusk the challenge is to bring together all these dimensions when chairing the Council discussion on the Energy Union. We wish him the best of luck in this endeavour.
*Julia Michalak is Climate and Energy Project Leader at demosEUROPA – Centre for European Strategy.
Krzysztof Blusz is a co-founder and the Vice-President of the Board of demosEUROPA – Centre for European Strategy.
