ARCHIVESHISTORIQUES
DELACOMMISSION
COLLECTION RELIEEDES
DOCUMENTS "COM"
COM(72)1204
Vol.1972/0153

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OFTHEEUK.OPBAN COMMUNIIIES
COM(72))1204final
Brussels,11October1972
Proposalfora
COUNCILREGULATION
concerning "trans-frontier oilandgaspipelines
(submittedtotheCouncilbytheCommission)
COMÇ72)1204final

EXPLAUATORY E3TORANXUM
1.Thebestmethodoftransportoverlongdistances,bothfor
hydrocarbons andfornaturalgas,istousepipelines.Thereare
alreadyalargenumberofpipelinesintheCommunitybutthisnumber
willhavetobesteppedupconsiderably overthenextfewyearsto
keeppacewiththegrowthinconsumption andintra-Community trade.
Thusawidelyintegratednetworkofoilandgaspipelinesisinthe
processofbeingsetupwithintheCommunity.
Thisisinlinet*iththeaimsofaCommunityhydrocarbon supply
policy,whicharetosecure,inadditiontodependability ,themost
economictermsofdeliverytoconsumersintheCommunity.
2.ItisintheinterestoftheCommunitythatthedevelopment of
thisnetworkshouldbeaccompanied ,forreasonsofcompetition ,by
themaintenance ofasufficientnumberofundertakings ofvarious
sizestotransporthydrocarbons .Tothisend,itwouldbe
advisableforalltheundertakings engagedinsupplyingthemarket
tohaveequalaccesstothesepipelines;thiswouldmeanin
particularthattheoperatorsofthesepipelineswouldhaveto
transporthydrocarbons foroutsidepartiesatpricesandonterms
whicharenon-discriminatory .
3.NotalloftheMemberStateshavelawswhichlaydownthis
obligation.ToachievetheaimsofaCommunityenergypolicyin
thefieldofoilandgaspipelines,itisnecesss-rytoadoptcommon
rulesapplicabletotransportation byoilandgaspipelinesfromor
totheterritoryofaIlemberStateoracrosstheterritoryofone
ormoreoftheMemberStates.Suchmeasuresare,inprinciple,a
matterforthecommontransportpolidy,whichuptonowhasnot
takenintoconsideration transportation bymeansofpipelines,but
whichshouldaimtoattainprogressively acomprehensive transport
systemcapableofmeetingallthedemandsofthetransportmarkets.

4.ItisproposedthattheCouncil "beenabledtorecognize,by
decisionstakeninrespectofeachcaseindividually onproposals
fromtheCommission,thatsomeofthesepipelinesareofcommon
interestfromaEuropeanstandpoint;theoperatorofsuchapipeline
wouldbeobligedtotransporthydrocarbons foroutsidersatprices
andontermswhicharenon-discriminatory .
5.Thissystemwouldalsofacilitateexchangesbetweencountries
intheeventofsupplydifficulties affectingonlypartofthe
Community,andthiswouldbeamanifestation ofmaximumsolidarity
amongtheMemberStatesinthefieldofenergysupplies.

-3-
Proposal for aCouncil Regulation
concerning trans-frontier oil
and gaspipelines
THECOUNCIL OPTHEEUROPEAN COMMUNITIES ,
Having regard totheTreaty establishing theEuropean Economic
Community ,andinparticular Article 75thereof ;
Having regard totheproposal from theCommission }
Halving regard totheOpinion oftheEuropean Parliament ;
Having regard totheOpinion oftheEconomic andSocial Committee ;
Whereas theestablishment ofacommon energy policy isoneofthe
objectives which theCommunities have setthemselves ;
Whereas inorder toachieve this itisappropriate totake certain
measures inthefield ofoilandnatural gastransport ,which bytheir
nature come within theambit ofthecommon transport policy ^
Whereas thedevelopment ofanintegrated network ofoilandgas
pipelines requires theadoption ofcertain common rules applicable
tointernational transportation byoilandgaspipelines from orto
theterritory ofaMember State oracross theterritory ofone or
more oftheMember States ;
Whereas thedevelopment ofanintegrated network ofoilandgas
pipelines facilitates theinternational transport ofoilandnatural
gasand -isthus ofmajor economic interest totheCommunity ;

-4-
Whereastrans-frontier oilandgaspipelinescontributetothe
developmentoftransportandtradebetweenMemberStatesandmay
contributetowardsthedevelopment ofoneormoreregionsofthe
Community;
WhereassecurityofsuppliestotheCommunityatpriceswhichare
relativelystableandaslowaspossibleconstitutes oneofthe
objectivesofaCommunityenergypolicy;
Whereas,ifthehydrocarbon andnaturalgastransportmarketisto
functionproperly,thetrans-frontier pipelinesmustasfaras
possiblebeplacedatthedisposalofoutsidersatpricesandon
termswhicharenon-discriminatory ;
Whereasitisnecessarytothisendtopossesspowersenablingthe
Counciltodeclarecertaintrans-frontier pipelinestobeofcommon
Europeaninterest;
WhereasitisincumbentupontheCommissiontomakeproposalsto
thisendinthelightoftheinformation whichithasatits
disposalconcerninginvestmentsintheoilandnaturalgastransport
sectorinvirtueof(EEC)RegulationNo1056/72;
HASADOPTESTHISREGULATION :
Article 1
Theoilandgaspipeswhichcomplywiththecriterialistedinthe
A
AnnextoCouncilRegulation(EEC)No1056/72of18May1972and
whichpassthroughtheterritoryofatleasttwoMemberStatesmay
bedeclaredtobeofcommonEuropeaninterestbyadecisiontaken
bytheCouncilbyaqualifiedmajorityonaproposalfrom'the
Commission.
10JNoL120,25May1972

Article 2
(1)Every person orundertaking operating anoilorgaspipeline
ofcommon European interest within themeaning ofArticle 1
shall provide transport facilities inthese pipelines for
outsiders ,atprices andonterms which arenon-discriminatory ,
ifthepipeline capacity andthenature ofth*?products
transported are such astoallow it.
(2)Such persons orundertakings shall provide theCommission ,at
itsrequest ,with allappropriate information toenable it
toascertain whether theobligation specified inparagraph
(l)isfulfilled .Theinformation given shall beconfidential .
Article 3
This regulation shall enter into force onemonth after its
publication intheOfficial Journal oftheEuropean Communities .
This regulation shall bebinding initsentirety anddirectly
applicable inallMember States .
Done atBrussels ,
FortheCouncil ,
The Président