Spain advocates increasing and boosting energy interconnections and efficiency in EU

The measures have been shored up in eight legislative proposals that will comprise the road map for achieving the EU's energy and climate goals for 2030. The ultimate aim is for the European Union to head up the energy transition, with the necessary investments and a strengthened internal market.

The State secretary welcomed the goals and the content of the road map proposed by the European Commission and pointed out that Spain has already applied some of the proposals, such as the integration of renewable energies in wholesale markets.

Daniel Navia highlighted that the proposals must take into account the fact that a genuine internal market will only be possible if a high degree of interconnections exist with neighbouring countries. And he advocated adopting urgent measures to increase the level of interconnections of those countries that are presently behind in their interconnection targets, such as Spain.

The State secretary also referred to the potential of energy efficiency for achieving the energy and climate targets and for boosting economic growth and job creation within the EU. He pointed out that this potential is not being fully exploited and that all of the regulatory and financial barriers that are currently preventing long-term investments in energy efficiency must be pulled down.

Meeting with Portugal

Before the Energy Council meeting, Daniel Navia met with his Portuguese counterpart, the State Secretary for Energy of Portugal, Jorge Seguro. At the meeting, they exchanged opinions on the Winter Package and agreed to establish closer channels of cooperation on energy issues. In particular, they expressed their interest in exchanging regulatory experiences and agreed to work closely together in defending common issues of interest in European negotiations, in particular in increasing interconnections and in eliminating barriers to long-term investments in energy efficiency. Hence, the initiatives and lines of work agreed on Monday between Portugal and Spain are in line with those agreed between Spain and France at the Spain-France Summit held on 20 February.

They also underlined the importance of boosting the integration of the Iberian gas market, agreeing to make progress in the MIBGAS structure to adequately meet the needs of the two countries.