Minister Altmaier discusses the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the energy sector with EU Energy Ministers

Economic Affairs Minister Peter Altmaier is attending the informal video conference of EU Energy Ministers today. The ministerial meeting, which was to be held in Croatia, had to be cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic. The exchange of views will focus on the coronavirus pandemic and its impact on the energy sector.

In the run-up to the video conference, Federal Minister Altmaier said: “The security of the energy supply in Germany and throughout Europe is currently high and has always been reliable during the coronavirus pandemic. We want to make sure that this remains the case. For this purpose, a close exchange among the EU Member States is useful and necessary. In addition, the energy sector can make a major contribution to the recovery of the German and European economies. In this context, the European Green Deal plays a key role. It can become an important growth strategy provided that we create incentives for targeted investment in new technologies in order to further improve our competitiveness and secure jobs. I can see a lot of potential, for example, in joint offshore wind projects by EU Member States, in the field of hydrogen and in investment in energy efficiency and in renewable heat. In these fields, we can provide a considerable boost to the energy transition and at the same time generate investment and economic growth. We also intend to advance some of these issues during Germany’s Presidency of the Council of the EU in the second half of 2020.”