The International Network
for Sustainable Energy

Update: October 2008

EU-Ukranian Cooperation on Energy
On September 9, 2008 an EU-Ukraine Summit was held in Paris. Ukraine and the European Union have agreed to sign a future “Association Agreement”. The Summit declaration will "acknowledge Ukraine's European aspirations" and state that the new treaty "leaves open the question of further, gradual development of EU-Ukraine relations." The legally-binding Association Agreement itself - which is to govern EU-Ukraine cooperation for the next 10 or more years - will be signed in 2009 or 2010.

On September 22-24, 2008, on the 4th International Biomass Conference in Kiev, INFORSE-Europe presented a draft of a proposal on a number of issues that should be addressed in the EU-Ukraine cooperation on energy with Bankwatch Network, WWF, and Ukraine Wind Energy Association.
So far the EU-Ukraine energy cooperation has focused on nuclear energy and fossil fuels. If the cooperation is going to contribute to improving the environmental situation in Ukraine as well as its energy independence and employment, the focus must change such that energy efficiency and renewable energy receive top priority.
The EU-Ukraine energy cooperation has an unusually large budget in the EU neighbourhood program; for 2007 it was 87 million Euro, so it is important to focus on deriving the greatest possible benefit of it.

The major parts of our proposal are that:
- Ukraine adhere to the Ecodesign and Energy Performance of Buildings Directives.
- Ukraine back building regulations with funding (loans and grants) for renovation of buildings and with initiatives for public buildings.
- Ukraine increase energy efficiency in heat supplies and in industries.
- Ukraine reform energy prices to avoid subsidies and promote energy conservation.
- Ukraine implement its newly adopted green tariff for renewable energy in a way that truly enables the development of renewable energy.
- the Ukrainian public be given unbiased and effective information on energy efficiency and renewable energy.

The final NGO Proposal is under preparation: Contact: Gunnar Boye Olesen e-mail: ove@inforse.org

Black Sea, and Caspian Sea Cooperation
November 30, 2006 in Astana in Kasakhstan, the energy ministers of countries around the Black Sea and Caspian sea, as well as of other Central Asian countries and Belarus met with high-level representatives of EU. The countries agreed a road-map with four main elements: converging national energy markets based on EU energy market principles, cooperation on energy supply, supporting sustainable energy development including energy efficiency and renewable energy, and finally attracting investments to energy projects of common interest. In the roadmap are plans for campaigns, agencies and investments in energy efficiency and renewable energy, in addition to plans for new oil and gas infrastructure. For implementation, the INOGATE secretariat in Kiev will play a key role together with four inter-governmental working groups. In addition each country will develop energy action plans including plans for energy efficiency and renewable energy. The ministers will meet next time in 2008.

Mediterranean Cooperation
Also the countries of the Mediterranean countries have met and discussed cooperation on energy with EU high-level representatives. This took place September 21, 2006 in Brussels in the Euro-Mediterranean Energy Forum, which was a continuation of the ongoing Euro-Mediterrenean energy cooperation.

European Energy Treat - South East European cooperation
The first ministerial meeting in the European Energy Community Treaty took place October 17 in Skopje, Macedonia. The treaty entered into force July 1, 2006 and covers South East Europe and EU. At the meeting it was formalised that Turkey is observer (together with Norway, Moldova and Ukraine), but not member.
The Treaty entered into force July 2006 and require that all participant countries implement EU Internal energy market legislation and certain environmental EU legislation.

EU Neighbourhood Policy Framework
The European Neighbourhood Policy addresses the EU’s neighbours to the east: Belarus, Ukraine, and Moldova; the Southern Caucasus countries: Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan; as well as all the countries on the southern and eastern shores of the Mediterranean: Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, as well as the Palestinian Authority.

The EU and Russia have decided to develop their strategic partnership further through the creation of four common spaces. The cooperation with Russia will be supported financially through the European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument.

The European Neighbourhood Policy does not cover countries that are candidates for EU membership (i.e., Bulgaria, Romania, Turkey or Croatia), nor the other Western Balkan states which are potential candidates.

A major tool for this cooperation is action plans that are made with each of the neighbours. The EU Commission released the first seven proposals for these action plans December 2004 and five more in March 2005. The action plans include chapters on energy.

The topics of energy cooperation includes:
· Market and norms
· Energy policy converging towards EU energy policy objectives
· Network
· Fossil fuel exploration and exploitation
· Energy efficiency and renewable energy
· Nuclear safety standards and radioactive waste management

Read INFORSE-Europe’s overview of the elements related energy of the action plans agreed in 2004 and 2005 ( 115 kB)

Some General Comments:
· Lebanon, Egypt and Jordan and Syria are involved in the arab natural gas pipeline as well as the Euro-Mashrek cooperation.
· Tunisia, Morocco, and Algeria are taking steps to realize the progressive integration of their internal electric and gas markets to the EU internal markets.
· Ukraine and the EU have intensified relations and are more ambitious than EU’s relations with most of the other ENP countries.
· Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia are not so advanced in the process of convergence towards the principles of EU internal markets as they have first to fight bribery and meet basic security and safety energy requirements.

To read more on the European Neighbourhood Policy:
http://europa.eu.int/comm/world/enp/index_en.htm

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