Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2012-11-20-Speech-2-543-000"
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"en.20121120.31.2-543-000"2
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"Mr President, Commissioners, ladies and gentlemen, in the United States in recent years, gas produced using unconventional technologies has radically transformed the energy market. That is a fact. Thanks to alternative sources of gas accounting for more than half of production, gas prices have slumped in the United States and they no longer have to rely on imports, as many have already pointed out in this debate. In the midst of the current protracted crisis, Europe can no longer allow itself the luxury of failing to deliberate thoroughly on such an opportunity, naturally adopting a responsible approach to evaluating the pros and cons. This is why I would like to emphasise a couple of aspects which can help us to form a balanced opinion on this topic.
What does shale gas mean in terms of security of supply, competitiveness and environmental protection? Let us look at security of supply first of all. By exploiting alternative sources of gas, the Union could reduce its gas supply vulnerability. Thanks to these new resources Europe would not only be able to counterbalance the dwindling traditional gas reserves in the North Sea, but also to reduce the unilateral energy dependence of certain Member States. Secondly, competitiveness. As the situation in the United States shows, the spread of alternative gas reserves can lead to lower prices since it increases competition on the gas market and improves the negotiating position of consumers against large-scale gas suppliers. In this way, the new reserves can improve Europe’s industrial competitiveness and reduce the burdens on populations. Finally, let us look at environmental protection. This is perhaps the most complex area. On the one hand, since gas is one of the cleanest fuels we have, exploiting alternative gas reserves could provide a suitable intermediary solution for switching to energy production with low carbon dioxide emissions. On the other hand, however, this must be properly regulated and efficiently monitored so that the companies involved in extraction adhere to the most stringent environmental regulations."@en1
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