Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2012-06-11-Speech-1-204-000"
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"en.20120611.25.1-204-000"2
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"Mr President, I am replacing my colleague, Günther Oettinger.
I thank Parliament for addressing this in the report. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the European Parliament, in particular, the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy and its rapporteur, Edit Herczog, for its supportive contribution in this policy area. The report discussed today contains many important points, which the Commission will take into due consideration when further developing the external energy policy and implementing its concrete activities. With the great effort by Ms Herczog and the shadow rapporteurs, we have the opportunity to go a step forward. We look forward to Parliament’s continued support in our effort to develop a true external EU energy policy and to the continued discussion on the specific external energy activities.
I can assure you that the secure and steady flow of energy at competitive prices is, for all of us, a fundamental necessity for the EU, but also a major challenge. We have made progress in strengthening our policies within the EU. At the same time, a stronger and more assertive external energy policy reflecting the full strength of the EU on the global scene is equally necessary to achieve our energy objectives.
A common regulatory framework in the EU has important consequences for our external partners. We need to ensure that internal market principles are respected and that EU energy security is promoted in a coherent way.
Despite the repeated calls for Europe to speak with a common voice, including from the European Parliament, we have not yet managed to reap the benefits of acting as one block. In external relations, national objectives too often prevail, without consideration for the common EU objectives. Yet past experiences clearly show that, together, Member States can achieve much greater results than on their own.
The proposals made by the Commission last September represent an important step in our efforts to develop a common voice and also respond to the request of the European Council of 4 February 2011.
The Commission welcomes the fact that the report recognises the importance of the external energy policy for the achievement of the EU energy objectives and stresses the need to promote regulatory convergence, diversification of supply and strengthened cooperation on sustainable energy policies. We also share the view expressed in the report that coherence and coordination on external energy activities needs to be improved at EU level, including on the energy agreements with third countries.
Without coordinated action, we will not be able to reap the benefits of a single European energy market of 500 million consumers and safeguard the security of supply for our citizens. Only a coherent position will allow Europe to influence the global agenda on energy in a way commensurate with its weight and role. Such coordination can be strengthened, particularly through setting up an information exchange on intergovernmental agreements in the field of energy. It will therefore be important to reach an agreement on this mechanism between the Council and Parliament.
While the Presidency compromise proposal on the mechanism is definitely below the ambition of the Commission’s initial text – we would, of course, have liked to see a stronger approach – it is a first step in improving transparency on such agreements. The mandatory submission of existing IGAs having an impact on the internal market for energy, the confirmation that the Commission has the possibility to participate upon request in negotiations as an observer and to provide advice, as well as the possibility of performing, upon request
compatibility checks of negotiated agreements with EU legislation, are all likely to further compliance and consistency with internal market rules, legal certainty for investors and, not least, solidarity among Member States. As I said, this is a first set of steps, on which the Union must build in the future.
Another element I would like to emphasise is that the EU partnerships with suppliers, transit countries and consumers should reflect a strategic and comprehensive approach. We should avoid supply-only or one-issue relationships with our partners. The EU’s external relations in the energy field should go beyond efforts to ensure the steady flow of energy, but also address sustainable energy, research and innovation, stable and transparent energy markets, international standards for key technologies and products, and energy efficiency. This is important because of the role that energy plays in the overall political and economic relations with many of our partner countries, and because of the transformations we have seen in the energy field."@en1
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