Energy Policy for Europe: Identifying the European Added-Value. CEPS Task Force Reports, 6 March 2008

The European Union has entered a new and crucial stage in energy policy. After the adoption of legally binding targets to address climate change, energy security and competitiveness, the 27 member states are now turning their attention to the implementation of these targets. However, with an unfinished internal market for gas and electricity and with member states continuing to focus on bilateral energy relationships with supplier countries, the EU is still at the very beginning of a common EU energy policy. This report from the CEPS Task Force on Energy Policy for Europe contributes to the debate about an emerging 'first-generation' EU energy policy. It identifies those policy areas that are expected to benefit most from deeper EU integration, i.e. where the European 'added-value' is expected to be greatest, and formulates recommendations on how such integration could be achieved in practice. In particular, the report calls for the development of more and better energy policy indicators against which to assess member state energy policies to ensure policy coherence at the EU and member state level.