When individual EU countries negotiate energy agreements with non-EU countries, they must ensure that these agreements comply with EU law. This helps ensure the smooth functioning of the EU's internal energy market.
Information exchange mechanism
To help facilitate coordination between EU countries vis-à-vis non-EU countries, and to ensure that EU law is respected, the EU established, as of January 2012, an information exchange mechanism (Decision 994/2012/EU), which
- requires EU countries to submit all existing international energy agreements to the European Commission for assessment
- allows EU countries to submit information on ongoing negotiations with non-EU countries to the Commission and to seek the Commission's advice on the compatibility of potential agreements with EU law
- requires EU countries to submit all intergovernmental agreements to the Commission upon their ratification
- requires EU countries to make the documents of intergovernmental agreements available to each other, either in full or as a summary. A summary should contain the subject matter, aim and scope, duration, contracting parties, and information on the main elements of an agreement
In February 2016, the Commission proposed an update to the decision.
Documents
- Global Europe strategy (6 March 2017)
- Proposal for a Decision on establishing an information exchange mechanism – repealing Decision 994/2012/EU (COM(2016)53 final)
- Council energy diplomacy conclusions (20 July 2015)
- Commission report on the security of energy supply and international cooperation (COM(2013) 638)
- Decision establishing an information exchange mechanism for energy (994/2012/EU)