Study on Devising concrete actions to implement the European Energy Dialogue

Background

Public involvement is a precondition for the achievement of the EU energy objectives. Energy issues are too often addressed as separate from each other. This impedes understanding and addressing the inter-relations and trade-offs between the different energy challenges and the responding adequately.

The European Economic and Social Committee has developed the idea of a European Energy Dialogue (EED) i.e an inclusive, transparent, trustworthy and coordinated multi-level conversation within and across all Member States. The EED is meant to go beyond existing and insufficient consultation processes and promote understanding, stimulate practical action and have a measurable influence on energy policy-making by stimulating convergence at EU level, in particular as a way to optimise energy provision, costs and climate objectives.

The EED will involve citizens, civil society organisations, national and local authorities and all types of energy organisations. It aims to combine national and European perspectives with a view to bringing operational added-value to policy making and implementation: actions must be carried out at national/regional level but take account of the European picture.

This study shall aim in a qualitative perspective to:

  • identify a set of very concrete actions to start implementing the EED at national and EU level;
  • suggest ways to create ownership for the EED among the energy chain stakeholders, the European Commission and the member states;
  • suggest ways, possibly with the support of the EESC to funnel and aggregate existing dialogue initiatives implemented at local or regional levels in order to create a momentum for a permanent dialogue;
  • suggest ways to improve the current consultation processes at EU level, which cover only a limited portion of public engagement in the policy cycle;
  • suggest ways to incorporate public engagement under the wider EED process into the governance system to be established by the European Commission (COM(2014)15 final).

Languages/geographical area

The study should be carried out in English, and cover the region of the European Union Member States

Indicative calendar

  1. Launch of the invitation to tender: estimated timing is Wednesday, 18 February 2015
  2. Deadline for submission of offers: 2 calendar weeks following the launching of invitation to tender
  3. Contract award:  estimated timing is  15 April 2015
  4. Draft report: within 3 months of the signature of the contract by all parties
  5. Final report: within 4 months of the signature of the contract by all parties

Contact

Send your expression of interest to participate or request for information to the following mail box (before the deadline mentioned below with Brussels time)

Deadline

Monday, February 16, 2015 - 11:00