Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 406: To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the extent to which he has had discussions with his EU colleagues to ensure that the supply of oil and gas here is sufficient to encourage price competition; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37572/08]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin South, Green Party)
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I am regular contact with my EU colleagues at Energy Council meetings and other EU and international fora on the issues raised by the Deputy. Most recently, I had the opportunity to discuss these issues with colleagues at the Energy Council of 10 October. At that meeting political agreement was reached by Energy Ministers on the European Commission's Third Package of reforms for the electricity and gas sectors. The objective of the Package is the creation of a competitive internal market with effective regulation and I am fully supportive of this objective. A competitive internal market is essential to deliver on all three of Europe's energy objectives: a competitive European economy, security of energy supply and sustainability.

Over the coming months the Council and the Commission will be working with the European Parliament to reach a compromise on the Package which is expected to be adopted in the first half of 2009. The Package will facilitate many of the benefits to consumers of an open and competitive energy market. It will also give clear investment conditions for new power plants and transmission networks which should result in increased security of supply across Europe.

We also debated energy security. This is an issue of increasing priority for all Member States. The main energy security issues debated were:

The need for an intensified approach on energy efficiency

Strategies to address energy prices including the transparency of oil and gas markets

The need for the Commission to propose, in November, a mechanism for ensuring security between Member States in the framework of a revision of the Gas Security of Supply Directive that should be published by the Commission in 2009

An LNG Action Plan, to be presented by the Commission in 2009

Common action by the Commission and the European Investment Bank to promote infrastructure projects essential to the EU and

The need to make progress on the Southern Gas Corridor bringing gas from the Caucuses to the EU.

The European Council also gives high priority to energy security issues. At the most recent meeting of the Council on the 15-16 October, Heads of State discussed the issue. In mid November the European Commission intends to publish the Second Strategic Energy Review.