The agenda continues to be dominated by these two important topics: An inventory of the REPowerEU contingency plan and an assessment of the Green Deal. While Russian coal has been completely banished and oil has been relegated to a few select refineries in Eastern Europe, Russian gas remains dominant in Austria and Hungary, while Kremlin liquefied natural gas continues to reach Western European ports.
Berlin and Prague will push for a new high-level group to finalize the EU’s exit from Russian energy, according to Reuters.
The plans are also expected to reveal divisions within the Council. France and the Czech Republic lead an alliance of 14 pro-nuclear countries pushing for nuclear power to be recognized as a renewable energy source – and easier access to finance. They face resistance from a 13-nation pro-renewables alliance led by Austria and Germany.
The Belgian Presidency has drawn up a document that focuses on bridging the investment gap in the grid, strengthening the resilience of the electricity system and increasing the speed and scale of grid expansion.
In addition, the upcoming Hungarian Presidency of the Council of the EU is expected to officially communicate its priorities. The Presidency will continue Belgium’s work on networks, while also pushing for a more coherent EU approach to geothermal energy, it said among other things.
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