Andris Piebalgs: EU Energy Commissioner
EU and Norway talk energy
Norway and the EU have agreed to establish a joint energy co-operation group to consult on key issues and make concrete proposals for ministerial meetings, Norway's Oil Minister Odd Roger Enoksen and EU Energy Commissioner Andris Piebalgs said today.
Enoksen and Piebalgs agreed to the formation of the group during a telephone conference today following the postponement of a meeting between the pair. Both men reaffirmed their interest in "close and comprehensive consultations" on energy issues in a joint statement issued after the discussion.
"This Co-operation Group should help us to better exploit the significant potential in energy co-operation between the EU and Norway" Piebalgs said. "Our dialogue has been excellent for years, but this way we hope to make it more results-oriented."
"The EU is our largest market for oil and gas, and our supplies represent a considerable part of the oil and gas consumption in the EU" said Enoksen.
The statement said future dialogue in the energy co-operation group would seek to reflect the interests of both producers and consumers and ensure competitiveness, sustainability and security of supply.