Common EU energy policy required to secure supply

Spanish Industry Minister Miguel Sebastian said Friday he wants European energy ministers to agree on initiatives to "deepen the common energy market."

Europe should reach a common energy market through better power links between countries, Sebastian was quoted as saying on the Web site of the Spanish European Union presidency ahead of a meeting of EU energy ministers in Seville.

Better power links would provide a greater security of supply and help policies to cut CO2 emissions, he said.

"Interconnections are very important as a backup for renewable energies," Sebastian said, adding that the weakness of renewable power is that it isn't always produced at the same levels and can be difficult to manage.

EU energy and environment ministers meet in Seville Friday and Saturday respectively to discuss common energy strategies and the future of the EU's climate change policy after the near-failure of the Copenhagen summit.

However, Sebastian said that a consensus among European countries in energy matters is only likely to be reached once new EU commissioners have taken office in June.