WRITTEN QUESTION E-0340/01

by Giovanni Pittella (PSE) to the Commission

(13 February 2001)

Subject: Security of energy supply

The Commission's recent report (of 29 November 2000) opens up a new and searching debate on the security of energy supply, stressing the negative prospects for the energy dependency of EU countries in the next 30 years, not least in view of the forthcoming enlargement to include countries which do not have significant natural and/or energy resources. The Commission forecasts that in the next 20 or 30 years energy imports will increase by 20 % (from 50 % at present to 70 %). In 1999 they amounted to 240 billion (ITL 500 000 billion), equivalent to 6 % of total imports. At present 45 % of oil imports come from the Middle East and 40 % of gas imports from Russia. A substantial fall in the demand for hydrocarbons from 41 % at present to 38 % by 2030 is forecast.

Against this background Abruzzo (where the first oil well in Italy was drilled at Tocco a Casauria in 1863 the third in the whole world after the US and Romania) has an underestimated oil-producing potential. The recent promising discovery of petroleum deposits in C. da Lazzaretto (between Francavilla and Ortona), currently at the experimental stage, confirms that oil exploration in the whole area is of interest and it is not clear how ENI can maintain a large proportion of the prospecting licences without investing in exploration activities, in effect paralysing a situation which could produce positive results.

AGIP's Ortona oilfield is important not only for jobs, but above all for the industries dependent on oil. There are almost 500 people working there and in the last thirty years a whole production and economic system has grown up, including hotels, which revolves around it.

ENI has announced that the oilfield is being dismantled (the employees have been informed unofficially and the process of cancelling supply contracts with a number of firms has been launched). A few days ago, a meeting was held on the initiative of the Italian Ministry for Industry during which the company announced that the plan was currently being suspended, pending definitive information concerning the oil deposit found near Ortona. It is supposed to be of substantial size, and oil has been found at a depth of 4 500 metres rather than 5 000 metres as envisaged when drilling started.

In the light of the above can the Commission and on its behalf the President, Romano Prodi, say what measures it intends to take to ensure that the aims set out in its recent report are not compromised by decisions such as that announced by ENI, currently suspended, with regard to the Ortona oilfield?

Answer given by Mrs de Palacio on behalf of the Commission

(4 April 2001)

Directive 94/22/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 30 May 1994 on the conditions for granting and using authorisations for the prospection, exploration and production of hydrocarbons(1), which covers the upstream area of the oil and gas industries, is intended solely to ensure non-discriminatory access for all companies (regardless of their nationality or public or private nature) to hydrocarbon prospecting, exploring and extracting activities without diminishing the Member States' rights to decide which area should be opened up to exploration/production, what level of taxation to apply, etc.

This being the case the Commission cannot intervene on the matter raised in respect of the Ortona oil field.

(1) OJ L 164, 30.6.1994.