Nieuwe stap in energie-samenwerking tussen Noorwegen en EU (en)

Due to State Budget meetings in Oslo, the Energy Dialogue meeting between the EU Commissioner for Energy, Mr. Andris Piebalgs, and the Norwegian Minister of Petroleum and Energy, Mr. Odd Roger Enoksen, has now been postponed until 15 September. However, in a telephone conference today, they agreed to further strengthen the energy cooperation by establishing a Joint EC-Norway Energy Cooperation Group.

Its main task will be to examine the whole spectrum of energy issues and make concrete proposals to the Ministerial meetings. Both parties reaffirmed their mutual interest for close and comprehensive consultations on key energy issues. Norway is a major exporter of oil and gas to the European Union and an integral part of the EU internal energy market through the European Economic Area Agreement.

"This Co-operation Group should help us to better exploit the significant potential in energy co-operation between the EU and Norway" said Commissioner Piebalgs afterwards. "Our dialogue has been excellent for years, but this way we hope to make it more results-oriented."

"The EU is our largest market for oil and gas, and our supplies represent a considerable part of the oil and gas consumption in the EU" said minister Enoksen. "This calls for very close relations, and through the new joint Energy Co-operation Group we will have an excellent opportunity to examine energy issues of mutual interest, especially with regard to oil and gas."

Both parties underlined the importance of ensuring that the energy dialogue between the EU and Norway reflects the interests of energy producers and consumers alike. The dialogue is founded on the common perception that energy plays a key role in achieving the objectives of competitiveness, sustainability and security of supply.

They will schedule for an Energy Dialogue meeting in the first half next year. Key theme for that meeting will be the Joint EC-Norway Energy Cooperation Group paper on security of supply and security of demand in the EEA. There will also be discussions on the recommendations from the Group on further work to enhance cooperation on energy issues and concrete measures to be adopted on both sides based on the overview of energy cooperation.

Annex: Terms of reference of the EC - Norway Energy Cooperation Group

Annex:

Terms of reference of the EC - Norway Energy Cooperation Group

Norway is a major exporter of oil and gas to the European Union and is through the EEA Agreement fully integrated in the internal energy market. To take this important relationship forward, the EU Commissioner for Energy and the Norwegian Minister of Petroleum and Energy have met regularly ever since 2002 to discuss energy policy and prospects for closer bilateral co-operation.

As the EU endeavours to develop a more coherent European energy policy, and with Norway in the process of elaborating its long term energy strategy, both sides have now concluded it is time to take this co-operation even further by setting up a senior officials' Energy Co-operation Group, whose main task will be to examine the whole spectrum of energy issues and make concrete proposals to the Ministerial meetings. The Group will be established at Directors/Head of Unit level and draw upon the expertise from services and academia on both sides. In accordance with the conclusions of the Group, one or several studies could then be launched, on specific issues and with clear terms of reference for both sides.

The first mandate/task of the Co-operation Group will be to discuss issues of current interest and to prepare joint papers/discussion papers with the following main contents:

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  Future energy developments on the horizon 2020;
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  Description of possible areas for strengthening the cooperation;
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  Proposals on policies and market tools necessary to make this happen;
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  Proposals for possible additional studies.

Within the mandate the Energy Co-operation Group will prepare joint papers/discussion papers to the EU Energy Commissioner and the Norwegian Minister for the next Energy dialogue meeting in the first half of 2007 on:

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  Security of supply and demand in the EEA - natural gas and Norway's role (opportunities/challenges/constraints);
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  A detailed overview of energy cooperation between the two sides, both from an administration point of view and a private/industrial perspective.

The Commissioner and the Minister will decide upon the need for a further mandate for the Co-operation Group.

The EU-Norwegian Energy Partnership may cover issues such as:

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  Geopolitical energy developments;
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  Global energy supply and demand developments;
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  Energy policy issues for assuring secure, sustainable and competitive energy markets;
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  Internal energy market for gas and electricity;
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  Cooperation on Energy Technology in the framework of the 7th FP and related Norwegian programs;
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  Trans European Energy Networks - Cooperation to optimise the oil, gas and electricity interconnections;
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  Sustainable development in particular in the oil and gas sectors;
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  CO2 capture and storage technologies;
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  Rational use of energy;
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  Renewables;
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  Market Observatory Systems (like EMOS).