Call for closer EU energy cooperation at event of conservative group in German Bundestag

Members of the Christian Democratic and Christian Social Union (CDU/CSU) parliamentary group in the German Bundestag have called for closer cooperation on energy policy within the European Union at the group’s 8^th Energy Policy Dialogue on Monday in Berlin. “The German Energiewende must be embedded in the European context,” said Chief of the Chancellery Peter Altmaier.
The recent decision by transmission grid operators and the federal economy ministry – led by Social Democrat Sigmar Gabriel – to effectively split the common power price zone between Germany and Austria was criticised at the event: “This is the wrong path,” said CDU/CSU energy policy expert Thomas Bareiß. The German government’s stance on expanding the Nord Stream Russian-German natural gas pipeline was also questioned. “From a policy standpoint, Nord Stream 2 is not necessarily in accordance with the aim to diversify the EU’s natural gas supply,” said Mechthild Wörsdörfer, Director of energy policy for the European Commission.

For background read the CLEW dossier The Energiewende and its implications for international security and the CLEW articles Loop flows: Why is wind power from northern Germany putting east European grids under pressure? and Europe's largest electricity market set to split.