Wind wire: Joint energy council

The European Commission says one of the council's key aims will be to deepen ongoing joint research and development of low carbon energy technologies. "The focus of this new cooperation has to be on the technology that is ready to be deployed and to deliver carbon dioxide reduction targets in the short term," says Christian Kjaer, chief executive of the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA). "This means that wind energy has to be a key element of the new cooperation and top of the new council's agenda." The council will meet annually, alternately in the EU and US, and report to the EU-US Summit. It will be attended by the EU commissioners for external relations, for energy, and for science and research, the country holding the EU presidency and the US secretary of state and secretary for energy. Its day-to-day work will be carried out by groups of senior officials.