The Commissioner holds responsibility for the European Union's energy policy as well as nuclear issues (Euratom).

[2] Arias Cañete was nominated as EU Commissioner for Energy and Climate Action in the Juncker Commission and took office on 1 November 2014.

[6] During his hearing with the European Parliament, Piebalgs stressed the importance of the environment in energy policy and was cautious of nuclear power.

He outlined his priorities as;[7] The European Union is an active supporter of the Kyoto Protocol, which it signed alongside its member-states.

[8] There is also a desire to reduce dependency on Russian energy supplies following the disputes between Russia and Belarus and Ukraine.