A4-0308/97

Resolution on the Commission communication 'An overall view of energy policy and actions' (COM(97)0167 - C4-0205/97)

The European Parliament,

- having regard to the Commission communication COM(97)0167 - C4-0205/97,

- having regard to its previous resolutions on this subject, in particular those of 14 November 1996 on

. the Commission White Paper on an energy policy for the European Union ((OJ C 362, 2.12.1996, p. 279.)),

. the Commission communication on the European Community gas supply and prospects ((OJ C 362, 2.12.1996, p. 291.)),

. the communication to the European Parliament and the Council concerning the Euro-Mediterranean partnership in the energy sector ((OJ C 362, 2.12.1996, p. 287.)),

- having regard to the conclusions of the Council of Ministers responsible for energy of 27 May 1997,

- having regard to the report of the Committee on Research, Technological Development and Energy and the opinion of the Committee on External Economic Relations (A4-0308/97),

A. whereas, despite its strongly and repeatedly expressed hopes, the draft Treaty of Amsterdam as submitted for ratification by the Member States does not contain a strong legal basis for measures to be carried out in the energy field,

B. whereas the Amsterdam Treaty places the promotion of employment, the environment and the quality of life, as well as aspects of policies to be conducted in the energy sector at the centre of the Community's obligations,

C. whereas its above-mentioned resolution on the Commission's White Paper fully identified and explained the shortcomings of the policy pursued with regard to the sustainable use of energy, creation of an internal market for electricity and natural gas, relations between the institutions, the budgetary context, regional policy, research and technological demonstration, the correct relationship between energy and the environment, East-West cooperation, or the real sphere of influence of energy policy in the agreement on the Energy Charter or within the framework of the Euro-Mediterranean partnership,

D. whereas the debate on the future of energy in the European Union is now running out of steam compared with what might have happened in the event of a supply crisis, but the threat of such a crisis is constantly hanging over European markets and the purchasing power of European citizens, in direct proportion to the extent to which energy objectives are achieved, dependency on external supplies, total energy consumption in Europe or changes in energy intensity,

E. whereas the liberalization and integration of energy markets will enhance business competitiveness; whereas the gradual creation of the internal market must not be detrimental to regional cohesion or create distortions between the benefits for large industrial consumers and individual citizens, given the impact of energy prices on family budgets and the need to stimulate economic recovery and hence employment in the Member States by encouraging private consumption,

F. whereas the present structure of Community action in the energy sector does not facilitate monitoring, checks or a detailed analysis; whereas concentration and legislative simplification in both implementation and application are therefore desirable with a view to greater transparency,

G. whereas the financial instruments available to the Community have been the target of repeated efforts by the Council in recent years to reduce the funds allocated to the energy sector, particularly in areas with a high ecological content,

1. Recognizes the effort to increase transparency made by the Commission in its communication which lays the foundations for a more detailed study and assessment in the future of the components of energy policy and will improve coordination of the instruments now available to the European Union to carry out the tasks conferred on it by the Treaty for the benefit of its citizens and the competitiveness of its businesses;

2. Calls for European energy policies to be brought together in a chapter on energy in the EC Treaty;

3. Asks to be involved, via the codecision procedure, in Community decisions on energy policy;

4. Calls on the Commission to include in future in its preparatory work on proposals concerning Community policy and action in the energy sector a clear justification of the impact of the relevant proposals on the achievement of the Community's tasks, in particular lasting environmental protection and improving the level of employment, standard of living and quality of life in the Member States;

5. Considers it crucial for the development of energy policy guidelines that the Commission should strengthen the role of the European Energy Observatory, as a means of defining appropriate general guidelines for the future on the conditions surrounding security of supply and trends in regional supply stability, in particular with regard to the main transportation routes for electricity, natural gas and oil and constituting a reliable point of reference for operators and the market;

6. Calls on the Commission to make regular assessments and analyses of the energy and environmental policies pursued by Member States so as to study and improve, possibly as a preliminary step towards the creation of a common framework for cooperation, the degree of compatibility between national energy and environmental objectives and those adopted by the European Union, and the costs arising from shortcomings in or the absence of such compatibility, in particular with a view to future enlargement of the EU, and to inform the European Parliament of all this at a suitably early stage, in particular by using planning and training centres and institutes;

7. Considers that the strengthening of political agreement on the development and application of renewable energies must be extended to include environmental and energy efficiency and optimization in the consumption of intensively used energy sources, particularly in view of the steady growth in the consumption of natural gas, while at the same time recalling that excessive dependence on natural gas may be a risk for the Union in the long term;

8. Advocates that any compensation arrangements introduced to allow the substantial investments required for the desired commercial application of renewable energy sources should not result in citizens bearing the economic brunt of such 'technological restructuring';

9. Deplores the drastic cuts made by the Council in the energy chapter of the Community budget, which have created considerable uncertainty as to the future of European instruments already established on the basis of the Altener, Thermie and Save programmes, and in particular those covering international cooperation in this area;

10. Calls on the Commission to give sufficient advance thought to the transparency of external action in the energy sector so as to facilitate information, scrutiny and thorough consideration by the European Parliament of cooperation with non-member countries under the Phare, Tacis and MEDA aid and cooperation programmes, those for Asia and Latin America and the EDF, and of the guidelines for implementing the pan-European electricity and natural gas networks, in view of the many cases in which the information phase has been disregarded;

11. Points to the need for indirect Community research and technological development measures under the Fourth Framework Programme to allow wide scope for innovative energy technologies capable of providing an adequate response to the desire to give preference to renewable sources and current demand for applications and consumption of natural gas, particularly in sectors such as liquefaction, transportation and regasification, in view of the potential of new forms of supply from remote areas; recognizes furthermore that, taking into the account the important role played by the nuclear sector in producing electricity in the European Union and its contribution to reducing energy dependence, the Community institutions should take part in its development, given the potential of nuclear power to increase the range of energy options, and in particular to reduce the EU's CO2 emissions in accordance with international agreements;

12. Recalls its support for the drawing up of a framework programme for EU energy policy contributing to clarifying and focusing Community initiatives in this field and ensuring a level of multiannual funding which would allow the deployment of significant measures, in particular in the field of renewable energy, but without any structural reduction in the funding available;

13. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Commission and the Council.