European People's Party
- Completing the Internal Energy market:The creation of an inter-connected EU-wide market will reduce costs and energy waste. This market is our protective shield against oil and gas crisis, ensuring that our home and businesses never run out of power supply.
- Limiting the rise of energy prices for households, SMEs and industry: True in an open market competition will help bring down energy prices for European citizens and business, which is decisive for the competitiveness of the EU economy and will reduce the cost of producing in Europe.
- The modernisation of energy infrastructure:To make the energy market a functioning reality, a cost-effective development of energy infrastructure is crucial (with inter-connected networks and storage facilities) and will have to be completed by 2020. No region or Member States should be isolated from the European network after 2015.
- Boosting environmentally-friendly technologies: For reasons of climate policy and energy security, the EU is seeking to move to a low carbon and less energy-intensive European economy by developing new, renewable and more efficient energy technologies. The new 2030 Climate Policy Framework adopted in the spring 2014 supports this move by facilitating investment. It defines clear and realistic objectives to give certainty to investors and industry, which need long-term planning to calculate theirs costs. It also takes due account of the difference in capacity of member states so as to achieve an equitable effort sharing.
- A cost-effective pathway towards a less emitting and energy-intensive economy - Renewables, together with higher energy efficiency, will contribute to economic competitiveness and reduce dependency on external supply.
- Developing renewable energy sources:To significantly increase the share of renewables in the energy after 2020, the EPP Group is working on a new, more ambitious and cost-efficient framework on renewable energy, which would give the renewables industry the cutting edge and ensure a maximum investment certainty. Thus, it is pushing for a cost-effective European support scheme to encourage technological innovation, in particular for innovative renewable energy technologies, which are not yet sufficiently competitive.
- Energy efficiency and energy savings will play an essential part in the move to a low-carbon economy. More should be done to help industries reduce their energy intensity.
- Diversification of energy sources and suppliers: In combination with the integration of the EU energy market, diversifying energy sources and suppliers crucially complements European efforts to reduce external energy dependence and to ensure more affordable energy prices for consumer.
- Establishing energy partnerships:The EU will seek to develop energy partnerships with oil and/or gas-producing countries.
- Speaking with one voice on energy policy: In coordination with the European External Action Service, the EU must speak with one voice on external energy policy.
- Free choice of the energy mix by every Member State:The energy-mix will also play a key role in ensuring energy needs, security and environmental goals. Contrary to its political competitors, the EPP Group does not contest the right of Member States to opt for nuclear energy, if they wish to do so, as long as they fully respect and implement the safety provisions. Nuclear safety concerns us all, regardless the energy-mix!
- Ambitious standards & regular stress testing: following the Fukushima disaster, a comprehensive risk and safety assessment was carried out on all 132 EU-nuclear power plants. The EPP Group is working on more ambitious safety standards and an upgrading in the safety features. Stress testing of national Power Plants has to become a regular exercise. Safety of nuclear installations.
- Promoting research:The new Research programme Horizon 2020 put high emphasis on new energy technologies. Particular attention will be put on nuclear waste management and nuclear safety, where new measures are required.
Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament
Prevention: Climate change is a worldwide challenge which needs to be tackled both globally and locally. Socialists embraced this challenge early on and we have fought hard – and we will fight also in the future very ambitiously - to ensure that this issue is at the top of the European agenda and the global agenda.
Help: The Solidarity Fund enables the EU, acting as a body, to provide effective support to a Member State, or to an accession country, in its efforts to deal with the effects of a major natural disaster. Through the Fund, which is not covered by the EU budget, up to EUR 1 billion can be made available each year to supplement public expenditure by the Member State(s) concerned.
European United Left–Nordic Green Left
Emergency funds must reach victims of natural disasters more quickly and efficiently. The EU Solidarity Fund (EUSF) must be able to respond rapidly to natural disasters in any member state avoiding time-consuming procedures or administrative obstacles. Preventive measures such as financial aid for the development of flood defences and the reviewing and sharing of best practices and research on the increased risks is crucial and should be better emphasised at the European level.
Reducing energy dependency is at the core of the challenge of building a sustainable economy. Our group has contributed to adopting new legislation to reinforce the use of renewable energies with the aim of reducing dependency on imported fossil fuels. Progressive policies in this area can also help reduce energy poverty which affects millions of Europeans.
* Greeklish.info has asked all the political groups for an interview