- Commission works on electricity price cap
- Top candidates: competition for von der Leyen?
- Outlook: The fall agenda of EU climate policy
- Court of Auditors: EU institutions were operational despite Covid crisis
- US premium for EVs could discriminate against European manufacturers
- Poland seeks €1.32 trillion in WW2 compensation from Germany
- Taiwan and Indo-Pacific on EU agenda
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- What’s cooking in Brussels: turmoil at the EESC
France’s President Emmanuel Macron urged Europe to stand united in Paris yesterday. “We must not let Europe be divided by this war. European unity is key. The division of Europe was one of Russia’s aim of the war.” At the same time, he defended his willingness to maintain contact with Vladimir Putin: France will continue to talk with Russia in search of a peaceful solution, of course in consultation with NATO allies, he said.
The current energy prices fuel particular concern about the division of Europe. Experts from the European Commission now propose a new, multipart approach as an emergency measure against high electricity prices. In his analysis, Manuel Berkel looked at a document from the responsible Directorate-General for Energy, which is available to Europe.Table.
It will still be a while before the next elections in the European Parliament in 2024. But European parties already ask themselves questions, like who will be their top candidates. Particularly interesting will be the EPP candidates, write Markus Grabitz and Till Hoppe: There could be two very prominent female rivals.
My colleague Lukas Scheid also summarizes what is next for EU climate policy this fall: Not only are the trilogues on ETS reform and the introduction of the CBAM entering the decisive round (and they offer a lot of conflict potential). In addition, the UN Climate Change Conference will be held in Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt, in early November. The countries most affected by climate change are looking primarily to Europe – because the industrialized countries are not living up to their promise of climate funding.
Claire Stam’s culinary-political column today is about French soft cheese – and the future of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), which fears for its budget. Bon appétit!
Leonie Düngefeld
Feature
Commission works on electricity price cap
The EU Commission’s energy experts are in favor of a price cap on electricity generated from nuclear power, lignite and renewable energies. This would decouple these cheaper energy sources from the price of the electricity exchange, which is mostly set by more expensive gas-fired power plants, according to a non-paper from the responsible Directorate-General for Energy, which is available to Europe.Table. This would give member states financial leeway to relieve particularly vulnerable households.
The 23-page paper serves as a discussion basis for the Commission. The authority is currently working at full speed on proposals on how the EU can cope with the recent turbulence on the electricity markets in the short term. In parallel, it is preparing a legislative proposal for a new electricity market design by early 2023. Details on the electricity market design will be available after Ursula von der Leyen’s speech in the European Parliament on September 14. The EU energy ministers will address these issues at an extraordinary Council meeting on September 9.
The enormous price swings recently fueled the political discussion about intervention in the market. The ideas range from a general electricity price cap to the Iberian model and the Greek proposal to divide the market into renewable energy and fossil fuel suppliers.
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