The EU has placed high priority on securing energy supply. Therefore, in November 2008 the Commission presented a comprehensive action plan for energy security of supply and energy solidarity.
On 13 November 2008 the Commission presented its Second Strategic Energy Review. The hub of the Second Strategic Energy Review is the Energy Security and Solidarity Action Plan. The Review also takes the first steps towards identifying the challenges facing the energy area for the period 2020-2050 and the initiatives necessary in this context. The Second Strategic Energy Review is an extension of the Commission's first Review of 2007.
First Strategic Energy Review
The Commission's First Strategic Energy Review identified three main challenges for common European energy policy:
- curbing anthropogenic climate change
- enhancing EU competitiveness, and
- enhancing EU security of supply.
The EU has implemented a number of initiatives to prevent anthropogenic climate change and to enhance EU competitiveness. With the launch of the Third Energy Liberalisation Package (19 September 2007) and the Climate and Energy Package (23 January 2008), the Commission's focus is now directed towards the third challenge: energy security.
Focus of the Second Strategic Energy Review
The Energy Security and Solidarity Action Plan focuses in particular on five areas:
- Infrastructure needs and the diversification of energy supplies
- External energy relations
- Oil and gas stocks and crisis response mechanisms
- Energy efficiency
- Making the best use of the EU's indigenous energy resources.