In external energy relations, the Member States need to reach a common understanding and establish a view concerning what sort of strategy should be adopted to make progress in relations with countries outside the EU, and what sort of common outward-looking goals the EU should have. This means that the Member States must be able to commit jointly to an agreed way forward that also covers bilateral relations, and to speak with one voice in these contexts too.
In het kader van de externe betrekkingen op energiegebied moeten de lidstaten een strategie afspreken om vorderingen in de betrekkingen met landen buiten de Europese Unie mogelijk te maken. Ook moeten zij overeenstemming bereiken over de gemeenschappelijke externe doelstellingen die moeten worden nagestreefd.