Investeren in energie-infrastructuur: meer gegevens om planning te helpen verbeteren (en)
MEPs took a critical look on Thursday at planned EU rules requiring Member States to provide information about future investment projects in energy infrastructure. The legislation would require EU governments to collect data and notify the Commission every two years about any building, modernisation or decommissioning of energy production, transport or storage capacities.
Parliament wants to clarify some points and also change the legal base for the regulation so that rather than just being consulted, it has the same power as the Council over the final shape of the legislation.
The current EU regulatory framework for notification of investment projects is no longer consistently enforced, its reporting obligations are heterogeneous and procedures have to be geared to developments in the sector, especially the need for significant investment in Europe's energy infrastructure. The present legislation also does not reflect changes in the field of energy, such as EU enlargement, the emphasis on security of supplies and renewable energies, and the introduction of a climate change policy.
Standardised notification process and less red tape
The new regulation would allow the Commission to monitor the situation closely and make the market more transparent. It would require that, every two years, EU Member States should collect and notify data on energy infrastructure investment projects concerning production, storage and transport of oil, gas, coal, renewable energy, electric power, as well as major projects for district heating and cooling and carbon dioxide capture, transport and storage, planned or under construction in their territory, including interconnections with third countries.
Member States would be required to compile all required data and information from the start of 2011 and every two years thereafter.
Energy companies would be obliged to provide the data to their own Member State on:
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-capacities,
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-locations,
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-timetables,
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-technologies used in the interest of security of supply,
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-carbon capture systems or retrofitting mechanisms, and
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-comments on delays of obstacles on the implementation of the projects.
If these notifications are already required under other specific EU legislation, then Member States will be exempted from this obligation.
Parliament also wants the rules to apply to EU companies which invest in energy infrastructure projects in third countries that are directly connected to, or impact on, the energy networks of one or more Member States.
The report, prepared by Adina-Ioana V?lean (ALDE, RO) of the Industry Committee, was adopted with 551 votes in favour, 24 against and 25 abstentions.
The amendments, which gained overwhelming support at the plenary vote, include demands that the regulation should have as a legal basis Article 194 of the Treaty, which strengthens the EU's role in energy policy. This would also give the Parliament co-decision powers (the ordinary legislative procedure) on the legislation. This amendment was tabled after a favourable opinion by the Legal Affairs Committee; nevertheless the Council and Commission continue to oppose a change of the legal basis.
Other amendments aim to clarify the type of planned investment projects that have to be reported, strengthen the confidentiality of the data that would be published by the Commission, ease the reporting burden and improve the usefulness of the analysis carried out by the Commission.
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