Insider
The joint informal meeting of the Ministers of Energy and the Environment under the French Presidency took place on 21 and 22 January in the French city of Amiens. Cyprus was represented by the Director General of the Ministry of Energy, Trade and Industry, Mr. Marios Panagidis, and the Director General of the Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment, Mr. Andreas Grigoriou.
On the first day of the work, the issue of fair transition in the implementation of the “Fit for 55” legislative package was discussed, as well as the role of forests and timber products in the EU's environmental, energy and climate policies.
Regarding the issue of Fair Transition and the new package “Fit for 55”, Mr. Panagidis expressed the position that in order to contribute to achieving the goals of the energy transition and to meet the challenges of social justice, should be given the right of the Member States to determine their own course and achieve the objectives on the basis of their own technical and financial capabilities.
Making special reference to the Social Fund for Climate, Mr. Panagidis stated that any funding should be properly and fairly distributed. For Cyprus, he pointed out, a higher funding is justified in order to alleviate the costs of energy transition in the energy-intensive sectors of building infrastructure and road transport. In this regard, Mr. Panagidis added that Cyprus is disproportionately affected by the transition costs, calling for special emphasis to be placed on vulnerable households and energy poverty in each Member State.
On the issue of the role of forests and forest products in environmental, energy and climate policies, the Director General of the Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment, Mr. Andreas Grigoriou, noted that it is as important as the price of reflect the impact on the environment, biodiversity and their use in carbon sequestration. The production of these products, he said, should be limited and there should be incentives for their reuse and recycling.
During the second day of work, the issues of rising energy prices, the role of energy saving in Europe's new “Fit for 55” energy strategy and the EU hydrogen strategy were discussed. The Director General of the Ministry of Energy in his speeches stated that in order to supply electricity at affordable prices, the physical completion of the interconnections of the Member States with the neighboring markets should be ensured. He also argued that transition technologies and fuels play a very important role in the green transition.
On the issue of energy saving, he noted that the necessary flexibility should be given to the Member States to achieve their goals in the most economical way and to take into account the different economies of scale in each country.
Finally, on the topic of the EU hydrogen strategy, Mr. Panagidis pointed out that any future hydrogen initiatives should aim at designing a market that will have on the one hand a strong legal framework and on the other hand a strong network of interconnections that will ensure the smooth functioning of the internal energy market.
