The European Commissioner for Energy and Housing is a member of the European Commission. The current Commissioner is Dan Jørgensen, in office since 1 December 2024.
Responsibilities The Commissioner holds responsibility for the European Union's energy policy as well as nuclear issues (Euratom). It was previously a backwater in the commission but has now become sought after as the European energy policy has been developed. The Commissioner for Energy has to deal with ongoing gas disputes between Russia and Ukraine which threaten European supplies, reduce dependence on Russian energy and reduce carbon emissions.Who’s who in the new Commission, Financial Times November 2009
The Directorate-General serving this Commissioner is the Directorate-General for Energy, which was combined with Transport prior to 2010.
Miguel Arias Cañete (2014–2019) A member of the centre-right People's Party, Arias served as Minister for Agriculture, Food and Environment in the Spanish Government from 2011 until 2014, before being selected to head his Party List in the European Parliamentary elections.www.elpais.com
Arias Cañete was nominated as EU Commissioner for Energy and Climate Action in the Juncker Commission and took office on 1 November 2014.(2 October 2014) Cañete’s hearing spells trouble for Juncker Euractiv Network
Günther Oettinger (2010–2014) Günther Oettinger was appointed as the new Energy Commissioner in February 2010. However he was criticised for corruption and avoidance of EU law in his home state. His language skills have also been criticised and his nomination was met with confusion in Brussels.
Andris Piebalgs (2004–2010) During his hearing with the European Parliament, Piebalgs stressed the importance of the environment in energy policy and was cautious of nuclear power. He received strong backing from the Parliament. He outlined his priorities as; Achieving a true internal market Energy efficiency: everyone can make a difference Increase the share of renewable energy Increased investments in technology Safety and security of nuclear power Make it easier for Member States to help each other in energy crisis Developing external energy policy relations
The European Union is an active supporter of the Kyoto Protocol, which it signed alongside its member-states. In March 2007 the Union committed itself to cut emissions by 20 per cent by 2020. There is also a desire to reduce dependency on Russian energy supplies following the disputes between Russia and Belarus and Ukraine.See also: 2004 Russia–Belarus energy dispute, 2007 Russia–Belarus energy dispute and Russia–Ukraine gas disputes. In April 2007 five southern European countries signed a deal to build an oil pipeline (the Pan-European Oil Pipeline) from the Black Sea to Italy which will help diversify energy sources.
List of commissioners #NameCountryPeriodCommission 1Wilhelm Haferkamp 1967–1970 Rey Commission 2 1970–1972 Malfatti Commission 3 1972–1973 Mansholt Commission 4 Henri François Simonet 1973–1977 Ortoli Commission 5 Guido Brunner 1977–1981 Jenkins Commission 6 Étienne Davignon 1981–1985 Thorn Commission 7 Nicolas Mosar 1985–1989 Delors Commission I 8 António Cardoso e Cunha 1989–1993 Delors Commission II 9 Marcelino Oreja 1993–1994 Delors Commission III 10 Abel Matutes 1994–1995 Delors Commission III 11 Christos Papoutsis 1995–1999 Santer Commission 12 Loyola de Palacio 1999–2004 Prodi Commission 13 Andris Piebalgs 2004–2010 Barroso Commission I 14 Günther Oettinger 2010–2014 Barroso Commission II 15 Miguel Arias Cañete 2014–2019 Juncker Commission 16 Kadri Simson 2019–2024 von der Leyen Commission I 17 Dan Jørgensen 2024– von der Leyen Commission II
See also
European Commissioner Directorate-General for Energy Energy Community Energy Charter Treaty
References
External links Commissioner Šefčovič's term website Commissioner Oettinger's term website EU Energy website Andris Piebalgs interview on eGov monitor Interview with Andris Piebalgs on Euractiv Andris Piebalgs: The EU’s energy challenges