Shale gas in the US may not be as economic as once thought, meaning its potential in Europe could be limited.

Lithuania will favour a new LNG terminal on the Estonian coast for EU priority status and possible funding when it takes over the presidency of the EU in July,Interfax has learned.

The European Parliament’s position on backloading under the EU ETS is unlikely to change despite pressure from member states, analysts have told Interfax.

Interfax talks to Emmanuel Haton, BP’s director of European government affairs, about the regulatory challenges facing the EU gas industry. .

The European Commission’s investigation into Gazprom’s alleged abuse of its dominant position in EU markets is ongoing.

Low coal and carbon costs under the EU ETS have outweighed the impact of weak power prices and made coal a profitable fuel source in Germany. However, some say coal power generation in Germany may not be economical in the long run.

Investment in the EU energy industry is in crisis because of member states’ sovereign debt problems and a lack of a policy framework beyond 2020, a study released this week by the UK House of Lords’ European Union Committee has concluded. .

Several MEPs have called for a phasing out of oil indexation in long-term gas supply, on the grounds that high energy costs are harming the competitiveness of EU industries.

Current environmental policies are pushing gas out of Germany’s energysystem to the benefit of coal, industry experts said at a meeting in Berlin this month.

Carbon prices reached an all-time low this week after the European Parliament rejected the European Commission’s proposal to delay the auctioning of allowances under the third phase of the EU’s Emissions Trading System (ETS).

The European Barge Union has called on the European Commission to shape the right political framework and reserve a minimum of 20% of the Trans-European transport budget budget to enable inland waterway transport to move towards a sustainable system.

While the potential for deeper energy relations exists between Europe and other Mediterranean countries, the main obstacle to further cross-border interconnectors is the lack of an adequate stable regulation framework, experts have told Interfax.

The European Commission may propose EU-wide legislation covering environmental standards for shale gas extraction by the end of this year, a senior commission representative has said.