Van Rompuy: EU must take steps to boost energy self-sufficiency

In a speech in Prague on the eve of the 10th anniversary of the Czech Republic’s accession to the European Union, the bloc’s president, Herman Van Rompuy, said energy self-sufficiency was key to its competitiveness. Mr. Van Rompuy said on Wednesday that if the EU did not act now, it would be 80 percent dependent on imported energy by 2035. He said the EU also needed to boost connectedness between states, improve energy efficiency and make use of various power sources including renewable energy.