On 9 July the EU Agency for Cooperation of Energy Regulators (ACER) hosted  a conference on the formation of an energy union tailored to consumers in Brdo pri Kranju. The event discussed the strategy for an energy union unveiled by the European Commission in February, which aims at reducing the EU's energy dependence on Russia and securing affordable energy. The five pillars of the energy union are reliable supply, internal energy market, energy efficiency, low carbon levels and research, innovation and competitiveness. Slovenia's position is that all five pillars should be developed at the same time. The conference focused primarily on the benefits the strategy is expected to bring to energy consumers in the EU.