Challenges, Perspectives and Obstacles of the European Energy Sector

The Challenges, Perspectives and Obstacles
of the European Energy Sector with regard to a Sustainable Energy Path:
Creating a Compromise among European Energy Actors

Europe’s energy supply system faces its next generation of power plants. Due to the long life span of energy production facilities, investment in power plants today will shape the structure of Europe´s energy industry during the next 30 to 50 years. It is up to us now to decide which energy sources we would like to choose. In 2005 e5 organized a workshop in Berlin on the subject “The Next Power Plant Generation”. During the workshop it was suggested that the ideas and issues regarding the future of Europe´s energy policy should be the object of a larger public debate in which the different actors in the energy economy should participate.

After further informal expert round tables in Germany during the second half of 2005, e5 decided to organize a European road show together with the European Commission DG TREN, in order to provide a discussion forum for economic, technological, financial, academic and NGOs actors. Under the title «The Challenges, Perspectives and Obstacles of the European Energy Sector with regard to a Sustainable Energy path: creating a compromise among European Energy actors» four national workshops have been held in Madrid, Brussel, Cologne and Brno (Czech Republic) in order to discuss the need of replacement and further construction of power plants in Europe, the reconstruction of the All-European energy system and the challenge of an ambitious climate policy. By this discussion forum we intended to promote a debate upon the above mentioned issues at different national levels which have recently been raised by the EU Commission in its new Green Paper “A European Strategy for Sustainable, Competitive and Secure Energy”. Among other representatives and experts from business, governments and science, 6 major energy supply companies, 3 important environmental NGOs, various companies from the telecommunication, insulation and construction sectors and 7 business associations have participated.

Workshops