Joint declaration by Jacques Delors and Jerzy Buzek: Notre Europe’s policy was supported by Jerzy Buzek, President of the European Parliament, and Jacques Delors in a joint Declaration on the 5th May 2010.

Speech of Notre Europe’s President: Tommaso Padoa-Schioppa

Tommaso Padoa-Schioppa recalled by way of introduction that for 25 years, energy policy has been founded on two essential components: the creation of a market and the taking into account of environmental aspects. Any energy policy has, by nature, one foot in the economy and one foot in strategy. Now, the development of the energy policy gives the Union an essential role with respect to economic aspect, but not for the strategic element. This is surprising because it was nevertheless a strategic vision that put energy policy at the center of European construction in 1950 (Euratom).

If European energy policy is limited to the economic half and leaves the other strategic half to the Member States, European integration as well as energy policy will only suffer. Energy sources today are no longer located within the EU, but largely without. Hence, the strategic element of energy policy is linked to questions of security and of international relations. This means that the lack of a comprehensive European policy which addresses both the economic as well as the strategic dimensions hinders the effectiveness of the European energy policy and the development of the Union in the areas where we know it must develop, in particular in international security and foreign policy.

Here, in a few words, are the reasons for which putting the idea of building a European Energy Community at the center of the European debate is new and a breakthrough. Energy policy is at the heart of European integration and to not pursue this policy means, in my opinion, placing ourselves at the heart of the problem of European integration.