Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2003-09-22-Speech-1-085"
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"en.20030922.6.1-085"2
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".
Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, the proposal we are going to debate now naturally relates to other types of activity and actions, although it also relates to energy. We are talking about the proposals relating to the security of supply of oil-based products and the supply of natural gas.
Action is considered necessary because greater competition could encourage gas companies to reduce their current levels of security of supply in order to reduce costs and increase their competitiveness. This is what the Commission wishes to prevent, and it has therefore proposed that the current rules on security of supply, which until now are usually maintained on a voluntary basis, should become binding. We are therefore clearly talking about a consumer protection measure.
I would like the European Parliament to take these considerations into account. They clearly demonstrate the contribution of the Commission’s proposal to the good functioning of the internal gas market, as well as the importance of security of supply in a market of this nature.
Other elements of the Commission’s proposal relate to long-term aspects of the security of supply despite the fact that the Commission does not have the least doubt that the market will provide an adequate number of long-term contracts; it is extremely important to communicate, both to investors and to producers, that the European Union recognises the importance of those contracts and that, in the very unlikely event that any problem should arise, will act accordingly.
I was delighted to hear that the European Parliament accepts in principle a mechanism for Community solidarity in the event of an extraordinary crisis in the European Union’s gas supply and it goes without saying that in such an event, if national measures are not sufficient to deal with the situation, the Community must be able to resolve the problem in an appropriate manner.
Mr President, with these two proposals, the first relating to oil stocks, which seeks to bring the reality of the systems operating within the context of the European Energy Agency into line with the functioning of the European Union’s internal market, and the second relating to security of supply in the field of gas, where our intention is to implement mechanisms which until now have only been more or less voluntary and also bring them into line with the reality of an open and integrated market within the European Union, I believe that the Union will have greater security of supply and if necessary will be able to face situations of tension or crisis.
The proposal simply represents an extension of the Green Paper, and its objective is to try to move on from words to actions. The proposal on oil is intended to provide the European Union with the means to act in a united and credible fashion, without difficulties in the supply of oil, in such a way that certain situations which may upset the economy, society and the functioning of the market can be resolved in the most effective way possible.
In order for the European Union to be able to act effectively in these circumstances we must meet three requirements. Firstly, we must establish a genuine Community decision-making process with regard to the use of security reserves, particularly in crisis situations.
Secondly, an appropriate definition of those circumstances which may lead to the release of security reserves of oil. The legislation in force, both national and Community, is still often based on the idea that security reserves are an instrument which is only used when the shortage of oil is serious. In this regard, I am happy with the development which has taken place within the International Energy Agency, with regard to the possibility of taking account of the definite risks of breaks in supplies.
The third requirement consists of creating credible and visible security reserves of quality. In many States, security reserves are the property of oil companies and are not differentiated from their existing operative stocks. So at the moment we do not know exactly how much reserve we have. Furthermore, we have an accounting system which, as the honourable Members know, differs, for example, from the accounting system for reserves of the International Energy Agency.
When it comes to gas, the Directive is aimed, in a nutshell, at guaranteeing a daily and operative security of supply within a competitive environment. It creates a security network for long-term supply contracts and increases Community solidarity in the event of very exceptional crisis situations which could not be resolved successfully at national level.
The second Directive on the internal market in gas will complete the creation of a single European market in natural gas, and will mean that all customers, including homes and small commercial enterprises, may chose their provider.
It is expected to promote competition in the supply of gas. And the large industrial consumers will be able to adopt the necessary measures to guarantee security of supply, but not homes or small commercial enterprises.
For these customers, security of supply is not a market issue and does not influence their choice of provider. Therefore, it should be reconfirmed to all gas consumers in the internal market that security of supply is adequately guaranteed, regardless of the provider they have chosen."@en1
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