The European Commission is releasing €800 million of funding for projects of common interest (PCIs) in the areas of electricity, gas and smart grids infrastructure. The 2017 call for proposals under the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) Energy is now open and submissions can be made until the 12th of October. Projects submitted in response to this call will be evaluated in November and December 2017, and the results will be communicated in early 2018. Proposed projects, which can be either studies or construction works, will be evaluated against several criteria. These include their state of maturity, their cross-border dimension, and to what extent they will remove bottlenecks to energy flow and end energy isolation of EU countries. Applicants should submit their proposal through the dedicated proposal submission system, accessible here. To be eligible to apply for CEF funding, projects must be designated Projects of Common Interest (PCIs). A helpdesk is also available to answer your questions on the call for proposals at the email address: INEA-CEF-ENERGY-CALLS@ec.europa.eu. Moreover, an info day will be organized in June, exact date to be communicated later on. REMINDER: On the 27th of March, the European Commission, DG Energy, opened a public consultation on the third list of PCIs for gas and electricity. Deadline: 19th of June. More [...]
Diversifying the gas supplies to Central and Eastern Europe, not only by its routes, but by the sources of supply will allow the creation of a real gas market, with free competition between suppliers and freedom of choice for customers. In the light of this, the decision of the European Commission allowing Gazprom increased access to the capacity of the OPAL pipeline, as well the pursue of the Nord Stream 2 project are contrary to the Energy Union principles and detrimental to the region. These are the key messages discussed during the first edition of Central European Day of Energy, in Brussels. All European projects, according to the Energy Union rules, should increase energy security, solidarity and trust. They also have to comply with the European common rules concerning third party access and competition policy, hence without posing a threat of disruption on existing routes. The gas infrastructure in CEE is still mainly East-West oriented. Therefore, one of the main priorities for the region is the implementation of the North-South gas corridor, a key enabler for breaking the Central Europe’s dependence upon Russian gas. The North–South Corridor comprises a set of interrelated energy infrastructure projects, which would connect Central European markets, both with each other, and with the Western part of the continent. This will be the backbone of Central Europe’s energy infrastructure and will further enhance the region’s energy security. The European Commission’s Vice-President in charge of Energy Union, Maroš Šefčovič, reminded that “2016 will be remembered as a highly turbulent year, a turning point between the old and the new energy systems. With the just released “Clean [...]
“The development of infrastructure networks is essential to complete European integration and in particular to better connect economies of Central Europe with the rest of the European Union,” Dominique Ristori, Director General at the European Commission, DG Energy, wrote in an exclusive message to CEEP members." One of the priorities of the Juncker Commission is the creation of a resilient European Energy Union with a forward looking climate change policy. In February 2015 the European Commission presented the Energy Union Strategy with a full list of actions to be taken over the next five years. The fundamental goal of the Energy Union is to ensure that the EU consumers - businesses and citizens – will have access to secure, sustainable, competitive and affordable energy. Infrastructure is central to all of our energy objectives. This is the case for energy security, or to provide affordable energy to all or to meet our renewable energy targets. That is why modern energy infrastructure and interconnections are a key element of this strategy. To upgrade Europe's infrastructure, it has been estimated that around €200 billion is needed during the current decade for transmission grids and gas pipelines. Not all investments are commercially viable however and the market alone is likely to only provide half of the necessary investment. The development of infrastructure networks is essential to complete European integration and in particular to better connect economies of Central Europe with the rest of the European Union. The large scale infrastructure projects needed in Europe can only be achieved through better cross-border cooperation. To implement the Energy Union, it will be essential to ensure [...]
The COP-21 climate summit in Paris resulted in an important and fair compromise. All references to decarbonisation were removed from the landmark deal. Instead, a clause on protecting forests was included. This powerful contribution from the Polish delegation proves that climate and economic goals may be achieved, if based on a reasonable balance between carbon output and emission absorption. Central European states delegations made considerable and widely appreciated impact on COP-21 proceedings. That refers particularly to Poland - the region’s largest player. Prime Minister Beata Szydło and Jan Szyszko Minister for Environment arrived in Paris well-armed with facts and figures and willing to defend its energy sector and energy-intensive industry. The two strategic aims were clearly defined. The first one was to reach a truly global, rather than regional agreement. It was obvious that failure to work out a universal compromise would be dangerous for the European Union. Although EU member states are responsible for only 11% of worldwide greenhouse gas emissions, they take the lead in their reduction. It is a heavy burden which results in the competitiveness of the European economy continuously falling. [Tweet "It is the transparency of data that Central Europe Energy Partners has been calling for ahead of COP-21"]The other goal was to make sure that, general as the final agreement should be, it would allow each nation to protect its specific interests. This was not a question of a symbolic gesture, but a factor that may have a fundamental meaning for defining individual environmental burdens and policies in the forthcoming years. This is especially important, as in the past decade, the global debate [...]
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We represent the widely understood Central Europe energy sector (electricity generation, distribution and transmission, renewables, gas, oil, heat generation and distribution, chemical industries, etc.), universities and scientific institutions.
