Summaries of EU legislation
Energy
Increasing evidence of climate change and growing dependence on energy has underlined the European Union's (EU) determination to become a low-energy economy and that the energy consumed is secure, safe, competitive, locally produced and sustainable.
In addition to ensuring that the EU energy market functions efficiently, the energy policy promotes the interconnection of energy networks and energy efficiency. It deals with energy sources ranging from fossil fuels, through nuclear power, to renewables (solar, wind, biomass, geothermal, hydro-electric and tidal).
Article 194 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union introduces a specific legal basis for the field of energy based on shared competences between the EU and its member countries.
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Energy – general rules
- A stable and abundant energy supply for Europe
- SET-Plan for the development of low-carbon technologies
- Redesigning the EU’s energy market
- Network code on electricity emergency and restoration
- Moving toward competitive sustainable and secure energy for Europe
- Making energy secure, affordable and sustainable - Energy union package
- Information exchange mechanism in the field of energy
- ICT-related recommendations to help the EU turn into a more energy-efficient, low-carbon economy
- Governance of the energy union
- High-performance, low-cost, low-carbon and sustainable energy
- European Climate Law
- A strategy for competitive, sustainable and secure energy
- Financial rules
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Internal energy market
- Agency for the cooperation of national energy regulators
- Wholesale electricity and gas markets — EU oversight rules
- The new EU accreditation and verification regulation
- Public contracts — setting out clear ground rules
- Internal market in electricity (from 2021)
- European Atomic Energy Community — information security gradings and measures
- Awards of public contracts and concessions — water, energy, transport and telecommunications sectors
- Gas
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Energy efficiency
- Ecodesign and energy labelling — household dishwashers
- The Energy Charter Treaty and Protocol
- Energy efficiency: helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve energy security
- Energy performance of buildings
- Energy efficiency
- Energy consumption: Framework for labelling rules
- Efficient and safe hot-water boilers
- Electric and gas-powered vehicles — recharging/refuelling stations
- Ecodesign and energy labelling requirements — household refrigerators
- Ecodesign requirements — external power supplies
- Ecodesign requirements — electric motors and variable speed drives
- Ecodesign requirements — welding equipment
- Ecodesign and energy labelling requirements — washing machines and household washer-dryers
- Ecodesign requirements — servers and data storage products
- Ecodesign requirements — power transformers
- Ecodesign and energy labelling — electronic displays
- Eco-design for energy-using appliances
- Ecodesign and energy labelling — refrigerating appliances with a direct sales function
- Ecodesign and energy labelling — light sources and separate control gear
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Electricity
- Cross-border exchanges in electricity
- Risk-preparedness in the electricity sector
- Guideline on electricity transmission system operation
- Greater interconnection of Europe’s electricity system
- Electricity in the EU — Inter-Transmission System Operator Compensation (ITC)
- Electricity data — generation, transportation and consumption
- Ecodesign requirements — external power supplies
- Ecodesign requirements — welding equipment
- Ecodesign requirements — power transformers
- Oil/hydrocarbons
- Renewables
- Trans-European Networks
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Nuclear
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Nuclear safety & radiation protection
- Dangers arising from ionising radiation (from 2018)
- Setting basic safety standards for exposure to ionising radiation (from 2018)
- Safety of nuclear installations
- Radioactive waste shipments - supervision and control
- Radioactive substances in water intended for human consumption: protection of public health
- Maximum levels of radioactive contamination in foodstuffs
- Nuclear spent fuel and waste
- Nuclear safegards
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Nuclear other
- Convention on Nuclear Safety
- The EU’s Fusion for Energy Joint Undertaking (F4E)
- Revised Statutes for the Euratom Supply Agency
- ITER: Euratom/Japan agreement on nuclear fusion
- Euratom-UK agreement on cooperation on the safe and peaceful uses of nuclear energy
- EU-India agreement on research and development cooperation in the field of the peaceful uses of nuclear energy
- Decommissioning assistance
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Nuclear safety & radiation protection
- European statistics
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Archived summaries
- 2020 climate and energy package
- Action Plan for energy efficiency (2000-2006)
- Action Plan for Energy Efficiency (2007-12)
- ACP-EU Energy Facility
- Agency for cooperation between EU energy regulators
- An Energy Policy for Europe
- Bulgaria
- Black Sea Synergy
- Community financial aid to trans-European networks
- Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme (CIP) (2007-2013)
- Connecting Europe Facility
- Conditions for access to the gas transmission networks
- Conditions for access to the network for cross-border exchanges in electricity (up until March 2011)
- Cooperation with Non-EU Member Countries on nuclear safety
- Croatia – Energy
- Cyprus
- Cross-border exchanges in electricity
- Demonstration of the capture and storage of CO2
- Dangers arising from ionising radiation
- Education and training in the nuclear energy field
- Energy cooperation with the developing countries
- Energy efficiency for the 2020 goal
- Energy Security and Solidarity Action Plan
- Energy-efficiency labelling of office equipment
- Energy efficiency of office equipment: The Energy Star Programme (EU - US)
- Energy end-use efficiency and energy services
- Environment and sustainable management of natural resources, including energy
- Estonia
- EU energy efficiency plan 2011
- EU strategy for biofuels
- Euro-Mediterranean Cooperation
- European Energy and Transport Forum
- European system for registration of carriers of radioactive materials (Proposal)
- Global partnership for sustainable development
- Integrating the environment into Community energy policy
- Hungary
- Green Paper: A European strategy for sustainable, competitive and secure energy
- Iceland – Energy
- Fluorescent and high intensity discharge lamps — ecodesign requirements
- Green Paper on energy efficiency
- Green Paper on the security of energy supply
- Green Paper - Towards a secure, sustainable and competitive European energy network
- “Green” vehicles: a European strategy
- Improving tyres’ fuel efficiency, braking capacity and noise levels (until April 2021)
- Financial cooperation with non-EU countries on nuclear safety (2014–20)
- Information on investment projects in energy infrastructure
- Nuclear Illustrative Programme
- Nuclear non-proliferation
- Nuclear reactors in Bulgaria and Slovakia - EU decommissioning aid
- Nuclear reactors in Lithuania - EU decommissioning aid
- Malta
- Motor vehicles: use of biofuels
- "Intelligent Energy for Europe" programme (2003-2006)
- Latvia
- Internal market for energy (until March 2011)
- Internal market for natural gas
- Internal market in electricity
- Lithuania
- Poland
- Radiation – preventing exposure from sealed sources (until 2018)
- Promotion of offshore wind energy
- Promotion of the use of energy from renewable sources
- Prospects for the internal gas and electricity market
- Operation and efficiency of facilities for monitoring the level of radioactivity in the air, water and soil - Report 1990-2007
- Preparedness for possible disruptions in gas supplies 2014/2015
- Priority Interconnection Plan (PIP)
- Renewable Energy Road Map
- Renewable energy: the promotion of electricity from renewable energy sources
- Product energy consumption: Information and labelling (from July 2011)
- Renewable energy: the share of renewable energy in the EU in 2004
- Public-private partnership for hydrogen and fuel cells
- Progress towards the EU’s 2020 renewable energy targets
- Rules applicable to procurement by entities operating in the water, energy, transport and postal services sectors until 2016
- Romania
- Towards a European Strategic Energy Technology Plan
- The Czech Republic
- The Energy Community Treaty
- Sector inquiry into the gas and electricity markets
- Security of energy supply in the EU and international cooperation
- Stepping up EU energy efficiency efforts
- Strategic Energy Technology Plan (SET Plan)
- Security of supply of electricity
- Security of supply of natural gas
- Trans-European energy networks
- Strategic oil stocks
- Seventh Framework Programme (2007 to 2013)
- Seventh Framework Programme: Euratom
- Sharing information on energy infrastructure investment projects in the European Union
- Transparency of gas and electricity prices
- Strategy for sustainable development
- Treaty establishing the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom)
- Strategy on climate change for 2020 and beyond
- Turkey – Energy
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia – Energy
- Smart Grids
- Support for electricity from renewable energy sources
- Sustainable power generation from fossil fuels
- The Global Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Fund