Discussion forum about energy

This discussion forum is open to everybody who is interested in energy and security matters. The recommendations below are based on consultations made in Denmark, Finland and Germany. A few provocative ideas have been added to have a lively discussion. More recommendations based on the Estonian and Latvian consultations will follow soon.

These recommendations are only the basis for a discussion. Please tell us your opinion about them.

Recommendations about energy policy

1. Some say it is impossible to reach the 20-20-20 -objectives set by the European Union. It could be even risky for the EU to try to be a forerunner in the world on its own expense. The EU should abandon the 20-20-20 climate goals.
2. The European Union should continue in its forerunner position and proceed in reaching the 20-20-20 climate goals. It should also strive to get other countries to make similar commitments to reduce emissions.
3. The European Union should liberalize the electricity markets to create a Europe-wide electricity network. If this should not happen, the Baltic countries should act as forerunners and create an electricity network in the Baltic Region. This would result in easy compensation of regional energy shortages and smaller transmission and distribution losses thus creating greater energy efficiency.
4. The European Union should adopt in its fight against climate change the short term goal of reducing emissions by all means possible - for example the wide spread use of nuclear power.
5. The European Union should adopt in its fight against climate change the long term goal of creating clean energy by investments into research in the field of energy technology thus reducing the need for fossil fuels.
6. The European Union should adopt a common policy towards energy deals with Russia thus creating more transparency and equality among different countries.
7. The European Union should promote a more open debate about the Baltic Sea pipeline (Nordstream) between Russia and Germany.
8. The European Union should do everything possible to control the energy prices so that the prices don’t rise so high, that they would create a class of energy-poor people.
9. The European Union should create environmentally and climate friendly consumer standards. Manufacturers exporting to the EU would have to follow these standards thus influencing the manufacturing processes all over the world.
10. The European Union should promote radical means of reducing emissions for example by energy saving.
11. The European Union should create a program to help the spreading of clean energy technology all over the world helping developing countries to make a transition from high carbon energy to low carbon energy as quickly as possible. The EU should do this even if it should be done on its own cost as development help.
12. In some opinions climate change doesn’t exist. The European Union should abandon all its fight against climate change and focus more on the sufficiency of energy disregarding emissions.

Discussion forum