Important announcement by permanent Finnish Secretary for Energy Policy on Commission's energy efficiency action plan, 28/09/06

This morning (28.9.06), at a conference in Brussels, permanent Finnish Secretary for Energy Policy Taisto Turunen announced that unless the energy efficiency action plan is issued by the European Commission immediately, the agenda of the Energy Council on November 23 "will now be quite empty". Twenty-seven energy ministers will have to "twiddle their thumbs" and so "we [Finnish Presidency of the European Council] are thinking of cancelling this council entirely as we do not have serious issues to discuss". Mr Turunen confirmed that no EC council on any topic had ever been cancelled before since Finland joined the EU.

For background information, please see yesterday's news item on the energy efficiency action plan.