While addressing the European Parliament in Strasbourg, Mr Blair called for a common energy policy to be adopted in the EU. In what was a noticeably pro-European speech, the Prime Minister called for a pan-European electrical grid to pool Europe’s power resources.
Quoted by the Times newspaper, Mr Blair said: For far too long, we have been in the situation where in a haphazard and random way energy needs and energy priorities are simply determined by each country according to its needs, but without any sense of the collective power we could have in Europe if we were prepared to pool our energy and our resources.
Joined-up thinking on the future development of Europe’s energy infrastructure was one of five key points Mr Blair put to the European representatives and represents one of his highest priorities for the UK’s presidency of the EU.
The Prime Minister’s call for unity in energy policies going forward comes at a time when the EU is coming to terms with a rapidly changing energy dynamic, marked by global demand increases, dwindling internal energy resources and a greater commitment to cleaner, more sustainable energy production.
