Building namely on a policy proposal made by the Jacques Delors Institute, the European Commission tabled its ‘Energy Union Strategy’ on February 25th 2015.

After its summer package, the Commission issued the first State of the Energy Union in November 2015. Its aim is now to submit in 2016 key legislative proposals in order to allow the European Parliament and Member States to reach a package deal by 2017 or 2018. An ambitious Energy Union might well re-launch the European integration process, like the Single Market did in the 1980s.

Perhaps more importantly, the Energy Union can enable Member States to achieve their own energy transition in a more cost-effective way, in order to provide European citizens and businesses with sustainable, secure and competitive energy. 

Taking stock of the outcome of COP21 and recent evolutions of the European energy policy, this conference aims at focusing on two critical elements for the future of the Energy Union.

The first panel will focus on the Energy Union’s paradigm shift: a shift from supply to demand. By putting the consumer at the centre of the stage and applying the ‘energy efficiency first principle’, the Energy Union can help bringing a revolution of the energy sector that, together with the development of dynamic digital economy and health sectors, can be the pillars of the new society to come.

The second panel will address the issue of innovation as a key element to foster a profitable and social energy transition. As the European Commission aims at adopting an integrated Energy Union strategy for research, innovation and competitiveness by the end of 2016, it is paramount to identify how the EU can foster new and useful discoveries to build the energy systems of the 21st century.

8h45-09h00: Opening address byJerzy BUZEK, Chairman of the committee on industry, research and energy, European Parliament

• Adrian HARRIS, Director General, Orgalime
• Peter HESSELDAHL, Manager of the We-economy project
• Antonio MEXIA, CEO of EDP
• Frauke THIES, Executive Director, Smart Energy Demand Coalition

• Sami ANDOURA, Team leader for Sustainable Development, European Political Strategy Centre
• Juliet DAVENPORT*, founder and CEO of Good Energy
• Diego PAVIA, CEO of KIC InnoEnergy
• Martin PORTER, Executive Director, Industrial Innovation for Competitiveness (i24c)