Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2002-03-12-Speech-2-086"
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Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, I would firstly like to say that I believe that the full realisation of the internal energy market is the most important economic measure to be dealt with at the Barcelona European Council. Therefore the vote on these reports in Parliament seems to me to be extremely timely and I would like to thank the Chairman of the Committee on Industry, External Trade, Research and Energy, Mr Westendorp, for the efforts he has made to make this possible.
Secondly, I also wish to present a framework directive on the energy efficiency of equipment and apparatus installed in all buildings, which supplements the directive on the energy efficiency of buildings.
Mr President, I believe that, together with the directive on the promotion of electricity generated from renewable energy sources, the proposal on energy efficiency in buildings, the political commitment to guarantee the environmental aspects of our energy consumption, and the proposal on biofuels, we are making a real effort to combine the rules for the creation of the internal markets in energy and to improve their operation with the improvement in energy efficiency and the environmental aspects of energy in Europe.
With regard to the directive and the Regulation we have presented, I would firstly like to congratulate Mr Turmes and Mr Rapkay on their work as rapporteurs, which has been carried out rigorously and seriously, although we cannot accept certain specific aspects of certain amendments. However, in general we all agree with the spirit and objectives in terms of making these modifications to the current directives in force.
I am pleased that Parliament – and specifically the two rapporteurs – is taking the approach contained in the Commission proposal, particularly with regard to the dates for opening up the market, the separation of the operators of the networks and the competences of the regulatory authorities, which are crucial elements in terms of the correct operation of the system.
In general terms, the Commission is in favour of the amendments that have been tabled, the majority of which are acceptable, either totally – with some changes to their wording – or partially. I am not only talking about the amendments which improve the situation of consumers and the amendments relating to a better definition of the public service aspects (always taking account of subsidiarity aspects, of course), but also the amendments which formalise cooperation between regulatory bodies and those relating to the competences of the regulatory authorities.
The Commission, however, has certain reservations with regard to the amendments relating to non-discriminatory access to the network, which is essential to guaranteeing fair competition in the gas and electricity sectors. We therefore propose certain measures in this context: to legally separate the operators of the networks – an approach accepted by Parliament – and to establish access to the network on the basis of previously published charges, thereby replacing access on a negotiated basis.
I would like to thank Mr van Velzen who is going to withdraw the amendments relating to negotiated access, because I believe that is going to clarify the debate a lot and help us to reach a final agreement.
Nor can the Commission accept the amendment dividing the proposal into two different texts for electricity and gas, bearing in mind the growing interdependence between the two markets and the fact that the majority of new electricity production will be based on production which uses gas as a fuel.
The Commission believes that the amendment relating to the funds for dismantling the nuclear sector is of the greatest importance. The Commission is aware of the importance of guaranteeing availability of the funds at all times for future dismantling activities, not only for the purposes of the internal energy market, but also to ensure that those funds are specifically destined for those activities. These funds have a specific and perfectly stipulated objective, which must be respected at all costs. Therefore, and with a view to dealing with this issue appropriately, the Commission is committed to presenting a proposal in the coming months, before the conclusion of the negotiation of this directive and this Regulation in Parliament. This issue is closely related to the system of guarantees and securities in the field of the use and handling of nuclear energy. We must be extremely rigorous in terms of the availability of these funds, within the corresponding framework, and we are studying the best legal formula for producing a proposal in this regard.
With regard to the Regulation, I would like to congratulate Mr Mombaur on his wonderful work. The Commission can support the majority of the amendments proposed, some with slight modifications. This is the case, for example, with the amendments which propose the creation of a consultative group of national regulatory authorities, and those which propose the establishment of specific rules for the so-called national interconnectors.
Secondly, I would like to point out our intended objectives with these reports. As Mr Linkohr has said quite rightly, this is something which may sound rather contradictory: a regulated deregulation, a regulated liberalisation, which is largely what makes up the European liberalisation model.
Next I will mention the amendments which we find difficult to accept. Amendment No 19, for example, which proposes that the procedure of the Regulation Committee laid down in the Regulation should only be applicable for four years and that, after this period, Parliament and the Council should once again study the issue on the basis of the Commission proposal. I know that Parliament has considered this distinction clause in the context of the regulations on financial services and of the Lamfalussy report, but President Prodi, on 5 February, in his statement to this House, clearly said that that case could not set a precedent. Nevertheless, I can assure you that, in accordance with the agreement of the European Parliament and the Commission on the methods for applying comitology, the Commission will put all its efforts into ensuring the greatest possible transparency in it relations with Parliament in the context of the procedure laid down in the Regulation on access to the network for the cross-border trade in electricity.
Amendments Nos 5, 6, 7, 16, 20, 22, 23, 24 and 25 seek to remove all the references in the Regulation to the regulatory authorities of the Member States, and suggest a more neutral expression such as ‘competent authority’. I do not believe these amendments to be appropriate since the Commission’s policy in this field is based on the principle that all States must designate one or several regulatory authorities, which are intended to play an essential role in the context of the implementation of the Regulation. Furthermore, accepting these amendments could be considered to be in contradiction with the creation of a consultative body made up of national regulatory authorities proposed in a series of amendments by the Committee on Industry, External Trade, Research and Energy and supported by the Commission. However, the formula proposed by the Commission leaves an appropriate margin for subsidiarity so that each State can find the most suitable formula.
The amendments relating to the treatment to be given to integrated generation in national charging systems are not acceptable either. This type of generation must be dealt with appropriately within the national charging systems, in accordance with the principles of non-discrimination and reflecting costs which appear in the Regulation, and, with regard to the most important case in practice, the electricity produced from renewable energy sources, and with the directive on it. It is not therefore appropriate to exempt integrated generators from the payment of certain charges in a general way, rather than by case-by-case treatment.
There are three amendments which propose that the text of the regulation should stipulate that the harmonisation of charges for access to national networks must be limited to the charges applicable to producers and that those charges must be reduced. However, this is an overly restrictive provision. National charges should be harmonised on the global basis of the charging structure, bearing in mind the specific characteristics of the national networks. We cannot therefore accept this amendment either.
We do not believe it appropriate to link the entry into force of the Regulation with that of the directive too strictly, as suggested in Amendment No 35. The promotion of cross-border trade is necessary in any event, regardless of the adoption of proposed amendments to the directive on electricity and gas currently in force.
In conclusion, Mr President, the vote on these texts is of the greatest importance. Thanks to the support for the main approaches and the broad convergence between Parliament and the Commission on all the measures, I hope that the negotiations in Barcelona will give us new impetus and that then, as Mr Adam indicated earlier, the negotiations between Parliament, the Council and the Commission will give full and total support to this regulated liberalisation in the electricity and gas sector, key elements for the creation of the internal market and therefore for the competitiveness of the European economy.
This objective is based on providing the European economy with all the elements of a market, while guaranteeing our citizens a series of rights which we consider to be basic within the model of society, the balances, solidarities and cohesion we want to create. It is therefore a question of offering freedom of choice to industrial and commercial clients on specific dates, namely 2003 and 2004, respectively, for electricity and for gas and, for domestic users, from 2005.
Consumers and producers must be able to access transport and distribution networks without discrimination and, to this end, the proposal provides for systems of transport and distribution which are separate – from a legal point of view – from the production and supply of gas and electricity.
Charges for access to the network which are set, published and approved by the competent national regulatory authority. Each of the States of the Union will create an independent regulatory authority with a common minimum level of competences.
The proposed regulation on the conditions for access to the network for the cross-border trade in electricity is intended to promote cross-border trade and overcome an unacceptable situation, as indicated by several speakers and the rapporteur, Mr Mombaur, which is that there are 15 different electricity markets. Therefore, it is a question of achieving the true objective of this proposal which, as pointed out by Mr Rapkay, is simply a European electricity and gas market.
There is another series of necessary measures created specifically in response to the requests of the Stockholm European Council. Amongst them, the first report on the creation of the internal market in gas and electricity which clearly indicated the distortions caused by the differing degrees of openness and the differences between the structural measures adopted.
In December 2001, the Commission also published a Communication on energy infrastructures which identifies the priority proposals and intends for the Member States to achieve an electrical interconnection equivalent to the minimum between now and 2005, that is to say, 10% of the capacity of installed production.
With the aim of guaranteeing greater protection of the environment, the Commission will present two additional directives during this year and, in this respect, I would say to Mrs McNally that, before the end of the year, I hope to present a directive on behalf of the Commission intended to promote cogeneration and at the same time prevent certain fraudulent uses which we all know about and which in the end lead to greater expense and wastage of electricity. As I have said, this directive will promote suitable cogeneration within the European Union."@en1
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