European Commission Vice-President for the Energy Union, Maroš Šefčovič, highlighted today that the EU aims at ensuring an energy system aligned with the high-pace technological change: “Our ambition is not only to keep up with the existing developments, but to lead the way, and we are relying on the important work of ACER in order to achieve these goals. That is why we insisted on expanding ACER's mandate”, he said during a live connection from Brussels, through which he delivered his keynote speech at the Agency’s Annual Conference 2018.
“The Agency’s achievements in only seven years have been impressive” completed Commissioner for Climate Action and Energy, Miguel Arias Cañete in a video message. “It was therefore logical that we wanted to enhance the role of the Agency and increase the competences and powers of the Director as a necessity to achieve better and faster results”, he added. When presenting the aims of the Conference – “An Energy Union for all Europeans” -, ACER Director Alberto Pototschnig highlighted how the current legal framework, once fully implemented, will support the development of the energy sector for the next 5-10 years and “also provides the foundations for the further thinking likely to be necessary beyond this horizon”. On this basis, participants discussed the “smart” future facing the energy sector, the opportunities for sector coupling for a better utilisation of renewable energies, as well as pricing in the EU energy market. The three thematic sessions were moderated by Dr Romana Jordan, Chair of ACER’s Administrative Board, Mr Andris Piebalgs, Chair of ACER’s Board of Appeal, and Garrett Blaney, Chair of ACER’s Board of Regulators.
The Conference opened with a welcome address by the Slovenian Minister of Infrastructure, Peter Gašperšič, and a presentation on the priorities of the Austrian EU Presidency in the field of energy by Andrea Steinmetz, Deputy Head of Department of the Austrian Ministry for Sustainability. The Conference also included a video message by Dominique Ristori, Director General for Energy of the European Commission.
“The Agency’s achievements in only seven years have been impressive” completed Commissioner for Climate Action and Energy, Miguel Arias Cañete in a video message. “It was therefore logical that we wanted to enhance the role of the Agency and increase the competences and powers of the Director as a necessity to achieve better and faster results”, he added. When presenting the aims of the Conference – “An Energy Union for all Europeans” -, ACER Director Alberto Pototschnig highlighted how the current legal framework, once fully implemented, will support the development of the energy sector for the next 5-10 years and “also provides the foundations for the further thinking likely to be necessary beyond this horizon”. On this basis, participants discussed the “smart” future facing the energy sector, the opportunities for sector coupling for a better utilisation of renewable energies, as well as pricing in the EU energy market. The three thematic sessions were moderated by Dr Romana Jordan, Chair of ACER’s Administrative Board, Mr Andris Piebalgs, Chair of ACER’s Board of Appeal, and Garrett Blaney, Chair of ACER’s Board of Regulators.
The Conference opened with a welcome address by the Slovenian Minister of Infrastructure, Peter Gašperšič, and a presentation on the priorities of the Austrian EU Presidency in the field of energy by Andrea Steinmetz, Deputy Head of Department of the Austrian Ministry for Sustainability. The Conference also included a video message by Dominique Ristori, Director General for Energy of the European Commission.