Public expectations and EU policies – Energy supply and energy security

A series of Briefings from the European Parliamentary Research Service which looks at EU actions in a series of policy areas. This follows up a public opinion survey organised by Eurobarometer for the European Parliament in April 2016 which asked the question: Would you like the EU to intervene less than at present or more than at present for the following policy areas?

Terrorism / Unemployment / Tax fraud / Migration / Borders / Democracy / Environment / Security and defence / Health / Gender equality / Energy / Economy / Foreign policy / Agriculture / Industrial policyMore than half of EU citizens would like to see the EU play a bigger role in energy supply and energy security. The EU was given competences in energy policy by the Lisbon Treaty in 2009.

The main objectives of EU energy policy are sustainability, affordability and security of supply. The Energy Union strategy, adopted in 2015, provides a holistic framework for further integration of European energy markets.

According to analysis carried out by the European Parliament, a more integrated single market for energy could result in annual efficiency gains worth €250 billion. Energy-related expenditure is spread across different parts of the EU budget. Energy is among the priorities of the European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI).

Authors: Gregor Erbach, Martin Svasek, Alina Dobreva