The priorities of the Polish Presidency in the Visegrad Group and of the Slovak Presidency in the EU Council overlap.
Slovakia leading the EU Council, Poland heading the Visegrad Group. A Slovak – Maroš Šefčovič – holding the energy portfolio in the European Commission, a Pole – Jerzy Buzek – presiding the Energy Committee in the European Parliament.
As of July 1, a Slovak-Polish tandem will have the opportunity to set the energy agenda in the EU for six months. As the Slovaks hand over to Malta, the Polish Presidency will continue until June 2017.
Synergies
Security, which features first in the long list of energy priorities of the Polish V4 Presidency, is also the top priority of the Slovak EU Council Presidency. Discussions on the Paris Agreement and its implementation will also be central to both Presidencies.
But pushing the agenda forward will not be easy for the Poles. They will have to steer the four Visegrad countries towards a more unified position on both Nord Stream 2 and the progress on the Paris Agreement.
The job will be somewhat less difficult in such dossiers as nuclear power.
Energy security
“A special emphasis will be placed on working out solutions on enhancing the bargaining power of the EU vis-à-vis its external suppliers of energy, on increasing transparency of intergovernmental agreements and contracts on energy supplies, as well as on improving the level of security and diversification of natural gas sources, suppliers and routes to the EU,” says the Programme of the Polish V4 Presidency.
Most prominently, the Presidency wants to focus on building the North-South Gas Corridor, negotiations on amending the Security of Supply regulation and on “continuation of common voice on the Nord Stream 2 project.”
As compared to the previous Czech V4 Presidency, “there might be stronger focus on security of gas supply, which is traditionally of key importance for Poland,” comments for SETPLAN2016.sk Tomasz Dąborowski, expert of the Warsaw-based Centre for Eastern Studies. “I expect active efforts to keep V4+ coalition united against Nord Stream.”
Nord Stream 2
Leaders of nine countries including the Czech Republic sent a common letter to the European Commission complaining about Nord Stream 2 which would redirect the remaining Russian gas transit from Central Europe to the Baltic Sea.
“Presidency has very limited room for manoeuvre in the Nord Stream 2 case. It can be vocal, it can keep political pressure but it does not have legal instruments to effectively block the project. These instruments are in hands of European Commission, which has to decide if third energy package fully applies to Nord Stream 2. It can keep this topic high on the agenda,
however,” says Dąborowski.
But that will not be a light task due to lack of unity inside the Group according to the expert. “Poland and Slovakia strongly reject the project, while the Czech Republic (which can significantly improve its transit role thanks to Nord Stream 2) and Hungary are showing rather ‘mild’ objection.”
Emissions reduction
Another important consensus Poland will strive for is the ratification and implementation of the Paris Agreement from December 2015.
The V4 counties hold diverging views on the conditions for progress. While Hungary was the first EU country to ratify the Agreement, Poland is not even vocal about it. As the V4 President, it wants to focus on discussing the relevant legislation on emissions reduction including the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) reform, Effort Sharing Decision (non-ETS sectors) revision and new LULUF (land use, land use change and forestry) rules.
In this context, the Programme prioritizes “EU’s competitiveness” and “cost-effective reduction of greenhouse gas emissions”.
The Programme does not mention ratification in Central Europe, but does line out that “the Presidency will be also coordinating V4 efforts aimed at ensuring that the new Paris Agreement is ratified by all major global economies.”
Slovakia’s Presidency
The Polish Presidency will have a somewhat less politicized role in finding common V4 positions on the technological neutrality principle (which effectively translates into the promotion of nuclear energy) and on the new electricity market design.
Here, however, the challenge will be to negotiate with the Western part of the EU. It will be all the more difficult as the United Kingdom – a strong advocate of market-based policies and of nuclear energy – and phases out of the EU following the June referendum.
Slovakia’s contribution to the V4 dossiers depends. Bratislava will probably not be so vocal in the highly politicized Nord Stream 2, while it can push ahead amendments to the less controversial Security of Supply Regulation.
In any case, the Slovaks and the Poles will have a unique chance to set the agenda.
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