Commission to establish Energy Consultative Committee
The European Commission, on the initiative of Mr. Christos Papoutsis, Commissioner responsible for energy policy, is to establish an Energy Consultative Committee. The aim of establishing the Committee is to ensure openness and transparency in the development of energy policies and actions at Community level. Mr. Papoutsis had previously mentioned the establishment of the Committee, at an informal Energy Council meeting in February 1996. The Committee's establishment builds on the consultation procedures undertaken for the Green Paper and White Paper on Energy Policy during 1995 and 1996. In fact, its establishment was one of the proposals contained in the White Paper. The Committee will be involved in the framing of the Commission's energy policy proposals, with three main tasks: - To identify areas in which Commission action is needed; - To advise on the means of implementation of the Commission's proposals; - To deliver opinion's on proposals before their official adoption by the Commission. The Committee will be composed of 31 members: fifteen representing the energy industry; eight representing energy consumers; six representing energy sector unions and workers; one representing environmental protection organizations and one representing the Commission's services. Alternate members will be appointed for each full member. The term of office for full and alternate members will be three years, renewable once.