Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2009-04-21-Speech-2-079"
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"en.20090421.17.2-079"2
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Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, I would like to thank the Czech Presidency, the Commission, Mrs Niebler, as the Chairman of the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy, my fellow rapporteurs on this energy package, the shadow rapporteurs and the committee’s secretariat, including all its officials, for their cooperation and for the skill they have displayed in working on this issue.
We all can and should be proud of the result we have achieved; I certainly am, thinking about the work I did when I inherited the directive on the internal market in gas, with problems that had no easy solutions. I am happy that this, my second term of office as an MEP, has coincided with the concluding stage of this package, which I believe to be one of the most important matters dealt with in this term of office, and one which will benefit our electorate, the citizens of Europe.
The Gas Directive that will enter into force from 2011 brings in significant innovations in the sector: one important result that should be emphasised is that the ITO option has been achieved. This will open up the markets and ensure that real progress is made towards a system that will genuinely allow the European Union to speak with one voice on energy issues. The ITO system is the true innovation in this package and it is the area where the European Parliament can be said to have achieved the best outcome.
The new Gas Directive attributes much importance to the gas authorities and to the agency. The directive gives legitimacy to the authorities in their role, particularly in those countries where they are to start their activities from scratch. It is therefore a matter of fundamental importance that we have designated the role and responsibilities of these bodies, and have given them broad powers, since the authorities have the difficult task of controlling the common energy market.
Another detail, which was added in at the trialogue stage, is the exemption from the common rules for so-called ‘closed’ systems, such as airports, hospitals, stations, industrial sites, and so on, which because of their specific individual features are subject to a more favourable system. This is an example of the attention paid by the new directive to the needs of European citizens.
In my view, it is, in fact, European citizens that will really benefit from this directive, since with the use of smart meters they will have access to all the information relating to their bills and will be able to assess the best offer on the market and to choose their supplier on the basis of the best price, because while it is true that it will take some years to see the effects of this liberalisation, nonetheless it cannot be denied that the entry of new operators onto the market will lead to a fall in prices and to more favourable market conditions for EU citizens.
Another important element is the recognition of European transmission network systems that will provide gas supply security to European citizens. All this also hinges on the strengthening and creation of new infrastructure such as regasification facilities and storage facilities, which will be the driving force behind the third package. What is required, therefore, is the opening up of a competitive market, ensuring long-term investment and contracts from firms in the sector, particularly in the new Member States, where the creation of new infrastructure would also make it possible to resolve long-standing problems relating to energy dependence.
The protection of more vulnerable consumers has been taken into account, by giving the national and regional authorities the option to guarantee their gas supplies at the most critical times. The successful outcome on this Gas Directive and the energy package as a whole once more highlights the role of Europe and its institutions in acting for European citizens."@en1
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