Following the meeting of the Energy Council of the 31st May, during which the European Commission pinpointed the numerous delays and bottlenecks in the Trans-European Energy Network policy, FIEC calls for the European Union to make full use of the Lisbon treaty provisions to develop an ambitious energy policy that will meet the new energy challenges facing the continent such as security of energy supply and the huge task to fully decarbonise energy production.

As well as action to save energy through efficiency gains on the demand side such as in buildings, upgrading and extending European energy grid infrastructure to cater, for instance, for the increasing share of large scale renewable energy production will be the key to ensuring the long-term security, affordability, and sustainability of our energy supply.

Aside from the crucial role energy will play in mitigating climate change, our ability to develop low and zero carbon technologies, to achieve truly European supergrids and new import routes, and to lead the way on smart grids will be crucial for the sustainable development of the EU.

Energy technologies and infrastructure represent strategic, labour-intensive, and high value-added projects that could have a considerable leverage effect on the EU’s economy and employment, provided that Europe guarantees leadership in this field in the face of international competition. Budget strictures across Europe should not prevent the EU and Member States from guaranteeing investment in these essential projects. We should not miss a vital opportunity to harvest the green jobs potential linked to new energy infrastructure.

In its recently adopted position on a sustainable energy supply, FIEC recalls that the European construction industry offers real solutions to ensure that future energy projects will have optimised economic performance, address local and social concerns, and have limited impact on the environment.

Construction’s technical expertise and know-how already enable alignments to be laid optimally with due regard to the environment and local concerns, developing intelligent management systems, limiting the impact of works on habitats and reducing electromagnetic nuisances.

In view of the Energy Action Plan under preparation by the Commission, FIEC calls on the EU to focus on four priorities:

1. a single energy market based on genuine supergrids,
2. a powerful EU investment programme for energy technologies and networks to go hand in hand with investment in energy efficiency,
3. a strong EU commitment to smart grids, and
4. reducing administrative bottlenecks to accelerate construction energy interconnections of European interest.