19–20 March 2015 – Leading European businesses including Acciona, EDF Energy and GlaxoSmithKline have written to Heads of State and Government to call for an EU Energy Union that equally focuses on securing energy supplies and reducing carbon emissions.
The businesses said the Energy Union should build on the renewable energy and energy efficiency goals outlined in the European Commission's Energy Union framework strategy published last month, and on the EU 2030 energy and climate package announced in October last year.
They said that for the future prosperity of the European Union, "it is vital for the Energy Union to put in place a framework that delivers the transition to a low carbon economy and a secure, affordable and competitive energy system".
They also called for a European Energy Investment Strategy to align existing European initiatives like the Capital Markets Union and the Investment Plan for Europe, and to channel investments towards low carbon energy infrastructure.