Sustainable and secure energy supplies

In 2000 the EU Green Book ³Towards a European Strategy for the security on energy supply² identified some of the key challenges faced by the EU to change the current development leading to increased dependency on imported fuels. Import shares of energy consumption in the European Union were predicted to rise from the present 50 percent to 70 percent within 2030. Furthermore it was predicted that the EU will not manage to meet future and maybe even present commitments to reduce emissions of Greenhouse Gasses (GHG) unless drastic measures are implemented. This booklet summarises status and trends in promoting sustainable and secure energy supplies in the EU, with particular focus on the performance in Benelux, Baltic and Nordic countries including Iceland and Norway. Furthermore it focuses on the political and financial tools applied in the countries under investigation. Different aspects are analysed in each chapter: The status and trends of security in energy supply, renewable energy supply, promotion of energy efficiency, climate change mitigation, energy market liberalisation and finally research and development efforts within the energy sector in the EU and in the Baltic, Benelux and Nordic countries.