Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2006-01-17-Speech-2-175"
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"en.20060117.19.2-175"2
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".
Madam President, I wish to begin by thanking Parliament for this debate, which clearly indicates there is general support for developments towards a common EU energy policy that respects subsidiarity. It is interesting that the first calls for such vital developments were made 30 years ago, during the first oil crisis. At that time, for obvious reasons, they came not from Parliament but from the Council. The situation today is definitely more complex than it was then, and will probably have longer-lasting consequences in the energy area than was the case 30 years ago. Given these circumstances, the Council, the Commission and Parliament must act.
On the security dimension, I would like to mention two particular aspects. Firstly, enlargement definitely brought new challenges for the European Union. Security of supply was certainly a far bigger challenge for the new Member States than for the older Member States. Secondly, the paper we are preparing at this stage has two authors: Mrs Ferrero-Waldner and myself. Therefore, the issues that Mr Swoboda raised will be addressed.
We also look into action at times of crisis. As I mentioned, this crisis was very short and some speakers referred to it as a mini- or even non-existent crisis. One should not underestimate the importance of the situation, because some countries did feel an impact. In most countries, the only impact felt by citizens was a media one. However, in some countries economic measures were taken in respect of the supply of gas. It was a real crisis and we should look at how we could react more effectively in the future.
At the same time, we should act immediately. We already have a lot of instruments that could be applied vigorously. On energy efficiency, we have a building directive entering into force which should be applied vigorously. The same applies to combined heat and power, and renewable energies: we have legal instruments and we should apply them. The same is true for renewable energy. The Commission will do everything possible. It is already taking positive steps, such as trying to mobilise all possible resources.
Let me turn to the New Neighbourhood countries, with which we have very good relations. Unfortunately, it is true that energy issues have been neglected. A memorandum of understanding with Ukraine on the implementation of energy policy was signed only this year during the summit. Therefore, we really need to help not only to deal with external supply issues but also with energy consumption, because the energy intensity in those countries, and energy losses, are tremendous, and no country could bear the energy costs arising from that situation. The same applies to Moldova.
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development has done a good job in Ukraine, but it could intensify its activities. We could draw on other resources to strengthen these and harness New Neighbourhood instruments for strengthening policies. We will do this, and do the same as regards development policy, because otherwise there can be no solution.
I should like to thank you once again for this debate. I am sure that this will not be the last time we debate these issues, and I draw a lot of inspiration from such debates."@en1
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