Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2006-04-03-Speech-1-112"
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"en.20060403.10.1-112"2
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".
Mr President, first of all I would like to thank you for this debate. Trans-European networks are an extremely important part, but they are just one part, of European energy policy as I see it.
One very important precondition is cooperation between Member States. I think the great news I have had over recent months is the cooperation in the energy sector between Baltic countries. Governments are looking for a common energy policy even if their markets are isolated; but that still clearly indicates that governments should look towards that policy. The European Council gave a lot of assurances, because the Heads of State and Government again came back to the interconnection issues – the 10% decision from Barcelona that was neglected – and called for a priority interconnection plan. In this respect trans-European energy networks actually provide the basis of an answer.
There have been critical remarks to the effect that networks could give rise to some types of speculation. That is why I am saying that regulation is as important as interconnection. Regulation is absolutely necessary for the market, and the Commission has been always rigorous in asking Member States to implement EU legislation. But there are two stages. First of all we must get each Member State to transpose the legislation. We have achieved that in 23 cases and 2 cases are before the European Court of Justice. So that is one stage. Then there is conformity. The new package addresses the conformity issue. Perhaps there will have to be new cases because the conformity issue does not arise only from Commission studies but is also raised by market participants when they find the directive has not been implemented correctly. So that is not the end of the story. It is clear, however, that networks and the good development of networks are absolutely necessary. Networks do not only mean interconnection, they also mean storage: it takes a long time to build gas storage, for example.
I know that the challenge is huge. There was some talk about avoiding duplication and I know that there are a couple of projects in the same area. Here I think governments should help by seeking a common approach and not building competing networks; instead they should look to the development of the best projects, which serve the interests of most of the Member States and the European Union.
Finally, in answer to the question as to what European energy policy means, it does not mean the sum of EU Member States’ policies. It is based on Member States’ policies, but it creates a new area of action for the European Union in a situation where globalisation in energy markets has given rise to new challenges, where the action of one Member State does not fully or adequately respond to the expectations of the citizens of that State, and where it is our duty to act at the scale of and within the scope of the European Union as a whole. Trans-European networks are definitely one of the instruments we can use.
I would like again to thank the rapporteur, Mrs Laperrouze, and all the shadow rapporteurs who have had the patience to negotiate with the Council and, at the appropriate moment, reached this overall compromise that I can accept."@en1
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