HR was represented by Ambassador Goran štefanic, Deputy Permanent Representative of the Republic of Croatia to the European Union (COREPER I).
The Council reached a general approach on the proposal for a regulation setting a framework for energy efficiency labelling.
The main objective of the proposal is to promote innovation and the production of ever more energy efficient products. It enables customers to make informed choices about energy consumption when making their purchases and thus contribute to the overall moderation of energy demand at Union level.
The Council adopted conclusions on the Energy Union governance, which will provide guidance to the Commission for building the Energy Union in the months and years ahead, in particular regarding the governance instrument.
The governance system will monitor the EU"s collective progress towards the achievement of EU energy and climate targets and its general policy objectives across the five dimensions. It will also provide a consistent and transparent overview of the state of the Energy Union.
The Council held an orientation debate on a new energy market design and on a new deal for energy consumers, as part of the follow-up to those two related Commission communications. Legislative proposals on both issues are expected for the second half of 2016.
The focus of the debate was on the role, responsibilities and powers of Distribution System Operators (DSO"s) and the reform of the retail energy markets.
In this context, ministers took note of the first annual report of the Commission on the state of the Energy Union, presented by Commissioner šefcovic. The report analysis the energy situation both at EU and national level, based on the Commissioner"s visits to each member state and includes factsheets for each country, as well as recommendations from the Commission.
During a working lunch, ministers had an exchange of views on the forthcoming climate change conference in Paris (COP21), after being briefed by Commissioner Arias Cañete on the state of play of the preparations.
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