The future of coal in the framework of the EU's energy policy At a meeting in Strasbourg on 17 February 1995, the European Commissioner for Energy, Enterprise Policy and Tourism, Mr. Papoutsis, stressed that energy policy has an important role to play in the current economic and social context and it must contribute to the promotion of e... At a meeting in Strasbourg on 17 February 1995, the European Commissioner for Energy, Enterprise Policy and Tourism, Mr. Papoutsis, stressed that energy policy has an important role to play in the current economic and social context and it must contribute to the promotion of economic, social and regional cohesion in the EU. The Commissioner referred more specifically to the role of solid fuels in relation to the objectives set by the energy policy and underlined that solid fuel can contribute to competitiveness and security of supply. Mr. Papoutsis said that an indication that the European Commission has confidence in the future of coal is proven by the substantial Community support for research and programmes which demonstrate the clean technologies for fuel combustion. The European coal industry faces many serious problems and the strategy for the future energy policy will be vital for many sectors and, naturally, for the solid fuel sector.
