The need to ensure security of energy supplies and of the availability of the right amount of electricity available while maintaining high levels of innovation and competitiveness within Europe's energy industry are crucial for the European Union if it wants to tackle the important challenges it faces, and require the adoption of a common energy strategy.
The request for such a strategy has come from several parties including Eurelectric, the European electricity industry association, which has often demanded a change in direction of EU energy policy, asking that it both be more in tune with the logic of the market and better coordinated centrally and national.
Enel's position is in line with these expectations. 'The European Union must act like a single entity if it wishes to play a leading role, promoting a greater integration within a legal and regulatory framework that is harmonised and homogeneous,' said Enel President Paolo Andrea Colombo at the seminar held in Washington DC by the Council for Italy-United States Relations. 'Member States must adopt energy plans that identify specific characteristics and enhance the value of their resources.'
Meeting the need for the diversification of energy sources, cutting costs and reducing emissions are all necessary and can be achieved together by taking advantage of available resources and innovation in technology, investing in renewable energy, smart infrastructure and energy efficiency.