Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2011-09-13-Speech-2-479-000"
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"en.20110913.40.2-479-000"2
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"Mr President, Mr Korolec, Commissioner, energy is the lifeblood of our national economies. We therefore want price developments to remain transparent for consumers. I regret to say that there are still too many deals and agreements being made behind the scenes. In the end, it is consumers who foot the bill, in the form of severely inflated energy prices. This is not just annoying; it also has real effects on growth and employment.
Mr President, I should like to continue speaking now rather than saving two minutes until the end.
The seventh and final point concerns delegated acts versus implementing acts. This was a tough one in the negotiations – it was a central issue, and, in part, we were breaking new ground as a result of the Treaty of Lisbon. Parliament has conceded some of its demands concerning delegated acts in favour of a stronger role for the ACER and in favour of more detailed directions in the section on penalties. This was a trade-off that we made. One important element of the final package is that all the aspects relating to data collection will be laid down by an implementing act rather than a delegated act. This also applies to the setting of a
threshold for the definition of reporting obligations. Nonetheless, the Commission will reserve the right to make a proposal ahead of any legislative proposal on such a threshold. This is also enshrined in the text as part of a declaration.
Overall, we have achieved a good result. I am very satisfied. The Hungarian Presidency was a tough negotiating partner, but with the assistance of my colleagues from all the other groups, we succeeded in achieving a genuinely satisfactory result. I would like to express my warmest thanks to everyone, especially to my Hungarian colleague, Mr Gyürk, because he naturally had a particularly direct line to the Presidency; however, everyone was involved in the trialogue negotiations. We achieved near unanimity in committee. I would be pleased if we could do the same in plenary. Thank you for your cooperation.
We want a better internal energy market. Europe needs transparent energy markets that are protected from abuse. This is precisely what the regulation on energy market integrity and transparency aims to achieve, and that is what we are talking about here. I would specifically like to thank the Commission and Commissioner Oettinger for their positive cooperation. This is exactly how European legislation needs to be made – in the way that we have brought it about here.
I am particularly pleased that the European dimension of energy trading is stressed in the text that will be put to the vote tomorrow. One of the main issues was whether or not we need a special law on this. Do we need a sector-specific approach or could energy trading simply be subject to the general regulations for financial markets? When it comes down to it, however, energy markets have different rules; energy traders are not banks. I am particularly grateful to Commissioner Oettinger for having done all he could to ensure this matter was put to the House quickly. That was essential for a sector-specific approach.
The negotiations with the Hungarian Presidency were tough and we succeeded in getting a result at first reading. Parliament – my fellow Members – introduced seven new points into the Commission’s text. The first important point was the introduction of an approval system for a register of electricity traders. This regulation now sets out the requirement of a national register of electricity traders. It also provides for the establishment of a European register which is to be organised by the Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators (ACER). The Commission is to evaluate the registration system in the future and propose further instruments to improve it.
Secondly: there is a link-up with CO
emissions trading. The regulation gives the ACER access to existing databases relating to trading in emissions certificates. Although Member States are not required to keep such records and the ACER is not being given the rights of control, the Commission is asked to present a legislative proposal to deal with the deficits in the CO
market system.
Thirdly: there will be penalties, and we have worked to harmonise these penalties and to achieve minimum standards. Following pressure from Parliament, the damage caused to consumers is to be given particular consideration when deciding on sanctions. In addition, the Commission has been given the opportunity to table a proposal on minimum standards for penalties.
Fourthly: the role of the agency and the national regulatory authorities have been strengthened. Parliament wanted to strengthen the ACER, which is why we have pushed for the director of the ACER to be more independent. The director of the ACER is to consult national provisions, but should not be bound by these.
A fifth important point: there is a revision clause in respect of staffing and resources. Parliament would like the ACER to be provided with the appropriate financial and human resources to be able to perform its new tasks. This is emphasised in a new recital. The ACER needs to be better equipped if it is to be guaranteed a strong presence in important organised market places.
Sixthly: naturally, insider trading is banned, but we have agreed one exemption when it comes to insider trading. This exemption may be applied only in the event of a direct physical loss resulting from unplanned outages. This exemption is allowed in order to provide security in the system, since otherwise players in the market would be unable to discharge their contractual obligations or to act by agreement with the competent transmission system operator."@en1
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