London (Platts)--7Jun2007

Completing the internal EU gas and power market, promoting renewables and
work on a European strategic energy technology plan are to be the three energy
priorities of the incoming Portuguese EU presidency, Portugal told ministers
at the EU energy council Wednesday in Luxembourg. 

     Portugal takes over the six-month rotating EU presidency from Germany on
July 1, 2007. The European Commission plans to propose a package of EU energy
laws in the autumn. 

     The package is to include measures to complete the internal energy
market, including more effective unbundling--the separation of grid and supply
businesses in integrated energy companies--and stronger, formal cooperation at
EU level between national regulators and between grid operators. 

     It is also to include a renewables law, setting out each of the 27 EU
member states' share of an overall binding EU target for 20% of EU energy to
come from renewables by 2020.

     The EC is also working on a European strategic energy technology plan to
be adopted by end-2007 and submitted to EU heads of states at the spring 2008
European Council. The plan is to outline how to bring technologies such as
offshore wind, second generation biofuels, carbon capture and storage, and
nuclear fusion more quickly to market to meet Europe's low carbon energy
objectives. 

     siobhan_hall@platts.com