EU Energy Policy as a Challenge for Switzerland

20 March 2013, Zurich
 

The energy transition that the Swiss Federal Council has decided is generally regarded as a national challenge. However, Switzerland’s energy supply is already closely integrated with that of neighboring states today. This is why the changes introduced by the EU, such as liberalization and increased integration of markets, but also the fostering of renewable energies already have a strong influence on security of supply and pricing in Switzerland today.

This event, jointly organized by the CSS and Avenir Suisse, analyzed the developments in European energy policy and the associated challenges for Switzerland. In their introductory remarks, Oliver Geden of Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik Berlin and Oliver Koch of the EU Commission’s Directorate-General for Energy debated current developments in the EU. In the subsequent panel discussion, chaired by Professor Andreas Wenger, they exchanged views on the effects on Switzerland with Matthias Gysler, head economist at the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE) and Urs Meister, energy expert at Avenir Suisse.