煤炭是歐盟第一大發(fā)電燃料，也是我們最經(jīng)濟(jì)、最安全的電力來(lái)源。2013年，盡管煤炭?jī)r(jià)格與天然氣價(jià)格相比仍然具有很強(qiáng)的競(jìng)爭(zhēng)力，但由于種種原因，整個(gè)工會(huì)的煤炭使用量下降了4%。國(guó)際煤炭市場(chǎng)運(yùn)作效率顯著，歐洲受益于激烈的競(jìng)爭(zhēng)，尤其是俄羅斯、哥倫比亞和美國(guó)的煤炭出口國(guó)之間的競(jìng)爭(zhēng)。

Coal is the No. 1 fuel for power generation in the European Union and remains our most economic and secure source of electricity. In 2013, coal use across the Union fell by 4% for a combination of reasons, even though coal prices remained very competitive compared with natural gas prices. The international coal market functions with remarkable efficiency and Europe has benefitted from strong competition, notably between coal exporters in Russia, Colombia and the United States.