能源是國家和歐洲決策者的一個重要問題。政策需要支持經(jīng)濟的能源供應和能源使用，從而確保歐洲企業(yè)在全球范圍內(nèi)保持競爭力。它們還必須確保供應安全，并符合環(huán)境目標。煤炭，包括硬煤和褐煤，對歐洲乃至全世界的能源結(jié)構(gòu)做出了重大貢獻。這也適用于未來，盡管煤炭在人們心目中常常與過去聯(lián)系在一起——工業(yè)革命和50年代歐洲機構(gòu)的建立

Energy is an important issue for policy-makers both nationally and at European level. Policies need to support energy supply and energy use that is economic, thus ensuring that European business remains competitive in a global context. They must also ensure security of supply, and be consistent with environmental objectives. Coal, both hard coal and lignite, makes a major contribution to the energy mix in Europe as well as worldwide. This also holds true for the future, although coal is all too often associated in people’s minds with the past – with the industrial revolution and the creation of the European institutions in the 50s.