Under Europe’s difficult economic and social conditions, the single energy market is essential to achieve true integration and to fully enhance growth potential. Its advantages would include more secure supplies, greater competitiveness and the possibility for the EU to speak at a global level.
Many large companies, like Enel, have enacted internationalization since long. But political advances are sluggish, and specifically the lack of regulatory harmonization is an obstacle that can slow down integration in a crucial sector like that of energy.
This urgent issue is regularly being stressed. It was already pointed out in 2010 by the Notre Europe Centre for Studies of Jacques Delors, and in 2011 a statement was signed by 20 leading companies and associations in this field (including Enel Green Power), which asked that the single market should be established by 2015 at the most.
Institutions also launched this appeal, first the European Commissioner for Energy, Günther Oettinger, and then also Staffan Nilsson, president of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC).
Therefore, the moment has come to take action, as reiterated also by the European Council with the “declaration on growth”, signed in Brussels by all EU State and government leaders on January 30th. The declaration acknowledges that the energy sector is “essential” to achieve the “full potential of the economic single market”, and that it is therefore necessary to “enact quickly and fully European regulations in fields like services and the single energy market”.
