Council Resolution of 16 September 1986 concerning new Community energy policy objectives for 1995 and convergence of the policies of the Member States
Date: 1986-09-16
Institutions: Council of the European Union
Subjects: energy consumption, energy market, energy policy, energy resources, energy supply, price of energy













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31986Y0925(01)

Council Resolution of 16 September 1986 concerning new Community energy policy objectives for 1995 and convergence of the policies of the Member States  


Official Journal C 241 , 25/09/1986 P. 0001 - 0003 





COUNCIL  RESOLUTIONof 16 September 1986concerning new Community energy policy objectives for 1995 and  convergence of the policies of the Member States(86/C 241/01)THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN  COMMUNITIES, Having noted the Commission communication of 13 December 1984 on 'Member States'  energy policies: main issues for the future' and the work carried out by the Commission departments  on 'Energy 2000', Having noted the Commission communication of 31 May 1985 on new Community energy  objectives, Having noted the recent Commission communications to the Council on various energy  matters, Having noted the opinion of the European Parliament (1) , Having noted the opinion of the  Economic and Social Committee (2) , Having noted the opinion of the ECSC Consultative Committee (3)  , Having regard to its earlier resolutions of 17 December 1974 (4) and 9 June 1980 (5) , Having  regard to its declaration of November 1983 on the role of energy policy within the Community,  Whereas the adequate and secure availability of energy on a satisfactory economic basis remains a  prerequisite for the pursuit of the economic and social objectives of the Community and of the  Member States; Whereas, owing to current events on the energy market, there is still considerable  uncertainty as to the long-term prospects for supply and demand; whereas it is  therefore essential  that the substantial progress already made in restructuring the energy economy be maintained and,  if necessary, reinforced within the Community; Whereas, in order to achieve this goal, priority  should be given, on the demand side, to containing energy consumption to a greater extent and to  restricting the share of oil and, on the supply side, to ensuring that the level of dependence on  imported energy, and in particular imported oil, is not unreasonable; Whereas experience has shown  that the framework established by Community objectives is of considerable value as regards the  coordination and harmonization of national energy policies; Whereas such objectives clearly  demonstrate to consumers, producers and investors in the Member States and to third countries that  the Community and its Member States are determined to improve their energy supply conditions;  Whereas the role played by Member States, in the energy policy context, in enabling market forces  to operate should be taken into account; Whereas political commitment to Community objectives  entails effective monitoring of national policies and the adoption of appropriate measures at  Community level and at national level to ensure their attainment; Whereas these objectives, which  are ambitious but sufficiently flexible to respond to such changes as may alter the energy market,  offer indicative guidelines for Community action and national policies without taking the form of  rigid planning instruments; Whereas, to put the concept of Community solidarity into practice,  Member States should, having regard to their own characteristics in the sphere of energy and in the  light of their specific possibilities and constraints, make efforts of comparable intensity;  Whereas the Community must have regular and appropriate information on Member States' energy  policies between now and 1995 in order, on the basis of detailed Commission reports, to be in a  position to verify the convergence of these policies in relation to Community objectives and the  extent to which these objectives have been attained at Community level, 1. emphasizes that the aim  of any energy policy is to enable consumers to have adequate and secure supplies of energy under  satisfactory economic conditions, which is one of the prerequisites for competitive structures and  satisfactory economic growth; 2. welcomes the results obtained over more than 10 years in the  Community and in the Member States as regards improving the energy situation, these results  deriving from the effectiveness of the policies pursued; 3. points out that, possible short-term  fluctuations on the energy market apart, efforts made must be maintained and, if necessary,  reinforced between now and 1995 and beyond that date in order to reduce to a minimum the risk of  tension at a later date on the energy market and in particular on the oil market; 4. states that,  in order to achieve the horizontal and sectoral energy objectives defined below: - each Member  State and the Community as such should continue to rely upon an appropriate combination of policy  measures and the operation of market forces, -the Member States should use these as a basis for  defining their energy policies and continue efforts of comparable intensity, having regard to their  own characteristics in the sphere of energy and in the light of their specific possibilities and  constraints; 5. considers that the energy policy of the Community and of the Member States must  endeavour to achieve the following horizontal objectives: (a) more secure conditions of supply and  reduced risks of sudden fluctuations in energy prices through: - the development of the Community's  energy resources under satisfactory economic conditions, -geographical diversification of the  Community's external sources of supply, -appropriate flexibility of energy systems and, inter alia,  the development, as necessary, of network link-ups, -effective crisis measures, particularly in the  oil sector, -a vigorous policy for energy-saving and the rational use of energy, -diversification  between the different forms of energy; (b) cost efficiency in the implementation of energy policy  measures; (c) the application, in all consumption sectors and to all forms of energy, of Community  energy price formation principles approved by the Council; (d) greater integration, free from  barriers to trade, of the internal energy market with a view to improving security of supply,  reducing costs and improving economic competitiveness; (e) a search for balanced solutions as  regards energy and the environment, by making use of the best available and economically justified  technologies and by improving energy efficiency, as well as taking account of the desire to limit  distortions of competition in the energy markets by a more coordinated approach in environmental  affairs in the Community; (f) the implementation, in appropriate frameworks, for those regions  which are less-favoured, including those less-favoured from the point of view of energy  infrastructure, of measures designed to improve the Community's energy balance; (g) the continuous  and reasonably diversified promotion of technological innovations through research, development and  demonstration and by rapid and appropriate dissemination of the results throughout the Community;  (h) the development of the Community's external relations in the energy sector by virtue of a  coordinated approach, in particular, on the basis of regular consultations between Member States  and the Commission; 6. adopts for the Community as such the following sectoral objectives which  should be regarded as indicative guidelines as regards their quantitative aspects and which could  be used as a guide for examining the convergence and cohesion of the Member States' energy policies  between now and 1995: (a) to achieve even greater energy efficiency in all sectors and act to  highlight specific energy-saving possibilities. The efficiency of final energy demand (1) should be  improved by at least 20 % by 1995; (b) to keep net oil imports from third countries within  reasonable proportions by maintaining a policy of oil substitution and by continuing and, if need  be, stepping up oil exploration and production in the Community, particularly in promising areas or  areas not yet exploited. Oil consumption should be kept down to around 40 % of energy consumption  and net oil imports thus maintained at less than one-third of total energy consumption in the  Community in 1995; (c) to maintain the share of natural gas in the energy balance on the basis of a  policy aimed at ensuring stable and diversified supplies and continuing and, if need be, stepping  up, natural gas exploration and production in the Community; (d) to pursue efforts to promote  consumption of solid fuels and improve the competitiveness of their production capacities in the  Community, taking into account the new possibilities opening up on the market for uses of solid  fuels with greater added value. The share of solid fuels in energy consumption should be increased;  (e) to continue with, and step up, the measures taken to reduce as much as possible the share of  hydrocarbons in the production of electricity. The proportion of electricity generated from  hydrocarbons should be reduced to less than 15 % in 1995. Taking account in this regard of the  substantial part played by nuclear power in the Community's energy supply, it is agreed that, on  the basis of highest standards of safety, appropriate measures must ensure that all aspects of  planning construction and operation of nuclear installations fulfil optimal safety conditions; (f)  to maintain the development of new and renewable energy sources, including conventional  hydroelectricity, in particular by continuing with the effort made and by placing greater emphasis  on arrangements for disseminating results and reproducing successful projects. The output from new  and renewable energy sources in place of conventional fuels should be substantially increased,  thereby enabling them to make a significant contribution to the total energy balance; 7. requests  the Commission to make all appropriate recommendations and proposals with a view to increasing the  convergence and cohesion of the Member States' energy policies and promoting the attainment of the  Community objectives defined above; 8. requests the Member States to submit to the Commission each  year all appropriate information about their energy situations and energy forecasts and to inform  it at the earliest opportunity of any substantial alteration in their energy policies; 9. requests  the Commission to submit, approximately every two years on its own responsibility and in the light  of the above information, a detailed survey of the progress made and problems encountered in each  Member State and in the Community as a whole compared with the objectives and guidelines defined  above; 10. notes that existing market conditions require flexibility of energy policy within clear  guidelines; 11. asks the Commission to review the objectives set out above: - in the event of  persistent structural changes in energy market conditions, -in any event before expiry of a  five-year period, and to submit, if necessary, new long-term energy objectives. (1) OJ No  C 88, 14. 4. 1986, p. 109. (2) OJ No C 330, 20. 12. 1985, p. 8. (3) OJ No C 190, 30. 7. 1985, p. 3. (4) OJ No C 153, 9. 7. 1975, p. 2. (5) OJ No C 149, 18. 6. 1980, p. 1. (1) Ratio of final energy demand to GNP.