COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION.Brussels, 24 November 2011. 3127th TRANSPORT, TELECOMMUNICATIONS and ENERGY Council meeting. (Energy items).The Council adopted the following conclusions:
RECALLING the Conclusions of the European Council and of the Council of the European Union of February 2011 which stressed the need for increased efforts in order to ensure a strong and coherent EU position in international energy relations,
WELCOMING the Commission Communication on security of supply and international cooperation as well as the submission by the Commission of a proposal concerning information exchange regarding intergovernmental energy agreements as a means to enhance the transparency of cooperation between Member States as well as between Member States and the Commission,
EMPHASISES that meeting the current common energy challenges requires prompt actions from the European Union, in particular strengthening the external dimension of energy policy,
ACKNOWLEDGES that the EU external energy policy should be based on and put into practice the principles of solidarity, transparency, subsidiarity and cooperation as well as on reciprocity, a rulebased market approach, and coordination between the EU and the Member States.
STRESSES that the EU external energy policy should contribute to ensuring a safe, secure, sustainable and affordable energy, consistent with the overall objectives of EU energy policy of competitiveness, security of supply and sustainability as well as with the EU 2050 energy andlow carbon1 policy perspective;
a fully functioning, interconnected and integrated internal energy market is an essential element for a successful external energy policy;
Regulatory cooperation and convergence with our neighbours 2has a key role to play in order to build a wide energy market while ensuring a level playing field. Such regulatory cooperation should take into account the diversity of EU's neighbours and their own energy policy objectives;
these conclusions do not prejudge the negotiations of the next Multiannual Financial Framework;
the implementation of the external dimension of the EU energy policy, including the initiatives set out in these conclusions and the negotiations and conclusions of international agreements, is subject to the need to respect the respective competences of the EU and Member States as laid down in the Treaties. The adoption of the present conclusions does not affect the distribution of competences or the allocation of powers between the EU and its Member States or between the institutions under the Treaties. Moreover, it affects the decision-making procedures neither for the adoption of EU positions by the Council nor for the conclusions of agreements by the EU, as provided in the Treaties.
UNDERLINES the necessity to work together with strategic partners with a view to reducing global greenhouse gas emissions Council conclusions on strengthening the external dimension of the EU energy policy
