8 June 2015: The Council of the EU held a meeting to discuss energy security and the implementation of the Energy Union. The Council agreed that the goal of the EU’s plans for the Energy Union must be to provide consumers with affordable, safe, competitive, secure and sustainable energy.

Meeting at the Council in Luxembourg on 8 June 2015, EU ministers for transport, telecommunications and energy assessed progress in the implementation of the European Energy Security Strategy (10409/14) and discussed next steps, addressing energy security, in particular. They called for, among other things, an increase in energy production in the EU and progress in diversifying supply routes and sources.

Regarding the Energy Union, the Council adopted conclusions on the implementation of the Energy Union strategy. The conclusions: highlight the need for regional cooperation in implementing the Energy Union; emphasize the importance of energy efficiency in reducing both consumers’ energy costs and greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs); and call for cost-effective investments in strategic and smart infrastructure. The conclusions also focus on how to provide consumers with secure, sustainable and affordable energy, and provide guidelines on how to achieve this goal. [Council Conclusions on the Implementation of the Energy Union] [Europa Press Release]