The Climate, Energy and Utilities Committee
The Climate, Energy and Utilities Committee addresses matters related to climate, energy and utilities policies. Principal matters on the committee’s agenda include combating climate change, energy supply and energy planning.
Tasks and responsibilities
The Climate, Energy and Utilities Committee has a very broad agenda. The committee addresses any topic associated with climate, energy and utilities policies, e.g. national and international measures to combat climate change, including global climate cooperation and negotiation, energy planning and energy supply, economic regulation of waste disposal and water supply, cartography and surveying, meteorology, etc.
The committee’s tasks can be subdivided into two primary areas:
- handling of Bills and motions within the committee’s remit
- ongoing parliamentary scrutiny of the work of the Minister for Climate, Energy and Utilities and the Minister for Development Cooperation and Global Climate Policy, and observance of legislation and decisions made within the committee’s remit
In practice, parliamentary scrutiny is exercised through the standing committee members’ tabling questions to the relevant minister, either as Section 20 questions (verbal or in writing), questions in committee, questions in consultation or as enquiries.
Specialist ministry
The Ministry of Climate, Energy and Utilities is the committee’s specialist ministry. In addition to the central department, the ministry consists of five authorities and three agencies that are independent organisations under the auspices of the ministry:
- The Danish Energy Agency
- The Danish Agency for Data Supply and Infrastructure
- DMI (The Danish Meteorological Institute)
- The Danish Geodata Agency
- GEUS (The Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland)
- Energinet
- The Danish Utility Regulator
- The Danish Council on Climate Change
Organisations
Many organisations have an interest in the climate, energy and utilities policy fields, including:
- professional stakeholder organisations
- voluntary organisation and associations
- think-tanks
- research centres
- international organisations.
Organisations and members of the public are welcome to contact the Climate, Energy and Utilities Committee in writing or to make an appointment for an audience if they wish to notify the committee of a topic within its remit.
Visits from abroad
Every year, the Climate, Energy and Utilities Committee receives visitors from foreign countries, such as ministers and other politicians, foreign organisations and associations. Such visits help to give the committee further international input to its work.
Study trips
For members of the committee, study trips in Denmark and abroad are a source of knowledge and inspiration about the climate, energy and utilities policy fields.
The committee also attends international conferences under the auspices of the EU and UN, e.g. the annual UN Climate Change Conference (COP).