The Spanish Presidency of the European Union has asked the rest of the members to facilitate the talks for the reform of the electricity market by giving in to some of their requests. From Spain, he urges to try to reach an agreement as soon as possible, so that the reform is agreed before the end of the summer and can be applied during this year.
Teresa Ribera, third vice president and minister for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge, has pointed out the need for each country member to be willing to renounce some of their claims during the informal council of energy ministers this Wednesday in Valladolid.
The need for consensus has been commented on by the ministers despite the fact that it is not one of the issues to be discussed during this meeting, and Ribera has highlighted the commitment of all the representatives to expedite the negotiation process and reach an agreement as soon as possible.
need for consensus
In this way, he has stated that Spain’s interest is to be able to find “solid” proposals for the proper functioning of the internal market and consolidate, coherently, the decarbonisation of Europe but that are “acceptable to all”.
Thus, he has said that the country’s position is “not to try to impose the criteria” of each other and this has been transferred to the EU energy ministers, who, according to Ribera, “thanked Spain’s commitment to trying to configure the greatest consensus” and not manage the file only seeking the required qualified majority.
“The sometimes conflicting and sometimes irreconcilable position between the Member States must be reconciled, and Spain undertakes not only to be a facilitator but also to enable the technicians to talk with all of them to achieve a text that is as consensual, as acceptable as possible. “, has underlined.
In terms of deadlines, he wants that agreement to take place “as soon as possible” and he has instructed at a technical level that the representatives of the twenty have a work meeting in Brussels this very day to try to obtain a “formula” that, without breaking the market interior, achieve a balance in the management of all operators and, at the same time, do not put the decarbonisation of the economy at risk.
The vice president has assured that what Spain wants is to achieve a text “the sooner the better” but that it has “acceptable” support from all member states. In any case, she has stressed that Spain wants to end the issue “before Christmas” something that she considers that “everyone is supporting”.
Critical matters and electrical interconnections
On the third and last day of the informal meeting in Veallid, Ribera explained that the wool holders will analyze the development of critical regulations, which he considers “important in order to achieve decarbonization” and the improvement of electrical interconnections in the European territory.
In relation to the regulation of critical materials, Ribera stressed that the EU must develop regulations on obtaining these critical materials at source and as well as the capacity to recycle these critical raw materials.
“It is perhaps one of the most innovative ways in which the energy ministers have to gradually incorporate their policies, together with those who develop the circular economy”, pointed out the vice president, who believes that some of these measures are going to be “key” so that Europe can take on the “challenge” and the “great opportunity” represented by the full decarbonisation of industry and the electricity system.
The Second Topic That Will Be Analyzed During The Conference Will Be How To Advance In “An Overview” Of The European Electrical Grids, The Intercorexions And The Cadrar Cadrar Cadrar Mode To One Of The National Systems, Something That Sees “Critical” To Achieve The Objectives Of Savings, efficiency, market flexibility.
For Ribera, 2022 has been a “fundamental” year to experiment with how having smart grids capable of absorbing “very different” alternatives will be “determining” for decarbonization in the “most effective and efficient way from the point of view of cost” and to strengthen the security of the European continent.
In his opinion, electrical interconnections cannot be treated as a bilateral issue but rather for the whole of Europe because “there is no Member State that should be able to oppose a border to the need to have a secure system for the whole of Europe” and welcomes the fact that This is something that the “vast majority” of the member states is very clear about.
