The European Union's twenty eight member states are working to integrate their markets and increase security of energy production in what they are calling the "Energy Union." The Energy Union is a major E.U. project under the new president of the European Commission. The vice president of the Commission has the responsibility for implementing the Energy Union goals. Documents outlining the strategic framework for the project stated, "Today the European Union has energy rules set at the European level, but in practice it was 28 national regulatory frameworks. This cannot continue." "Our vision is of an integrated continent-wide energy system where energy flows freely across borders, based on competition and best possible use of resources, and with effective regulation of energy markets at E.U. level where necessary." The Energy Union envisions an "energy transition" that would involve the citizens taking ownership of E.U. energy delivery with smart meters, domestic generation and a choice of energy suppliers from the whole E.U.
In order to implement the Energy Union, the first step will have to be major changes in energy related infrastructure including the way that energy is moved between countries. By 2020, each E.U. country must be able to import ten percent of its electricity. A new energy market must be created for the E.U. members. The ultimate intention is to expand markets to the point where consumers have the ability of buy their electricity from any supplier in the E.U. In order to achieve this plan, the energy regulators in each E.U. member country will have to be regulated by the E.U.
"Market integration of renewable electricity generation requires flexible markets, both on the supply and demand side, within and beyond a member state's borders," said the European Commission. "There is a need to expand the possibilities for distributed generation and demand-side management, including intraday markets, to develop new high-voltage long distance connections and new storage technologies." It concluded, "The Commission will prepare an ambitious legislative proposal to redesign the electricity market linking wholesale and retail."
Nuclear power is the E.U. largest low-carbon source of electricity supplying about twenty seven percent of the E.U. power needs. It was not a major focus of the report. Since much of the nuclear fuel and nuclear services required for the E.U. fleet of nuclear power reactors are imported, the report did point out the need for more diversity in nuclear fuel suppliers and services as part of energy security. The report said that the E.U. was falling behind other regions of the world in the implementation of low-carbon power generation.
All the members of the European Union are signatories of the Euratom Treaty which pledges to "create the conditions required for the development of a powerful nuclear industry which will provide extensive supplies of energy, lead to the modernization of technical processes and in addition have many other applications contributing to the well-being of their peoples." There is a section of the Euratom Treaty which calls for "production targets for nuclear energy and the various types of investment required for their attainment." The Energy Union program calls for following the Euratom Treaty in this regard. However, the fact that some E.U. members are now calling for a nuclear production target of zero would suggest that support for nuclear power in the E.U. is not universal. Austria is leading the faction of E.U. members who want to end the use of nuclear power in the E.U.
Countries in orange are E.U. members who generate nuclear power:
