European Parliament resolution on oil dependency
Date: 2005-09-29
Institutions: European Parliament
Subjects: energy policy, import (EU), petroleum, renewable energy, self-sufficiency in energy

C 227 E/580

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

21.9.2006

Thursday, 29 September 2005

9. Calls for the establishment of a positive list of oenological practices permitted in trade with third
countries, within the framework of the OIV and with the aim of making evaluations prior to future new
authorisations;

10. Urges the Commission to promote the negotiation at international level of a binding definition of
wine that would halt the development of certain oenological practices, in order to protect the efforts made
to maintain quality in the European Union, to avoid Community producers being subjected to unfair
competition and to prevent market imbalances;

11. Acknowledges the need for a framework for continued negotiations in the wine sector, in particular
in the light of the forthcoming reform of the European Union's common organisation of the market in
wine, which is scheduled for 2006;

12. Considers it essential to strengthen Community measures to improve and promote the quality of
Community produce as part of the next reform of the common organisation of the market in wine, in
order to meet the challenge of increased competition from third countries;

13. Considers that it would be useful to have a legal opinion on the compatibility of this bilateral agree-
ment with Community law;

Instructs its President to forward this resolution, together with the names of the signatories, to the

14.
Council, the Commission, the Governments of the Member States and the United States Congress.

P6_TA(2005)0361

Oil

European Parliament resolution on oil dependency

The European Parliament,

— having regard to Rule 103(4) of its Rules of Procedure,

1. Notes with concern the recent continuous increase in the price of crude oil and its effect on the
competitiveness of businesses and the general economic health of the population and the fact that it
adversely affects growth levels, thus impeding the attainment of the Lisbon objectives;

2. Considers Europe's dependence on oil and oil imports to be of great concern; believes that in order to
ensure energy supply, Europe should diversify energy sources and origins of supply and strengthen its
strategy to promote energy conservation measures and decentralised renewable energy sources;

3. Calls for a comprehensive and coherent global strategy to promote energy saving and efficiency and
the use of alternative energy sources, in view of the very high oil consumption in the US as well as
increasing oil consumption in especially large emerging economies such as China and India; calls on the
EU rapidly to take the initiative to hold a world summit of the larger oil consumer and producer countries;

4. Calls on the Commission to help developing countries and emerging economies by integrating sustain-
able energy provision in its development cooperation policy in order to reduce their dependency on
imports of fossil fuels and to achieve the Millennium Development Goals, and calls for the EU to push for
a proper balance between their energy needs and environmental concerns by promoting the transfer of
new energy-saving and renewable technologies;

5. Highlights the geostrategic aspects of Europe's dependence on energy imports; calls for the dialogue
with all European energy partners to be intensified, to promote security of supply, market transparency
and further investment; recalls that the European Neighbourhood Policy affords an opportunity for a
comprehensive agreement with several countries concerned with this issue;

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Thursday, 29 September 2005

6. Recognises that the most logical response to higher oil prices is to switch to using alternative energy
sources, and therefore emphasises the importance of actions to reduce energy intensity by using less
energy for the same economic output (noting the rate of reduction in Europe since the 1970s);

7.
Strongly endorses the need for follow-up strategies and concrete measures to promote research and
development, to increase use of renewable energies and to promote energy efficiency in order to achieve a
less fossil-fuel dependent economy, and calls on the Commission to lead the EU in an attempt to become
the least fossil-fuel dependent and most energy-efficient economy in the world by 2020;

8. Notes with concern that consumers are having to pay higher prices not only as a result of the high
cost of crude oil but also because of increased rates of VAT and energy taxes levied on end products, and
that these taxes vary widely throughout the EU and can distort market forces, but supports the conclusions
of the Informal ECOFIN meeting in Manchester on 9-10 September 2005 where Ministers agreed that
fiscal and other policy interventions that cause distortions and prevent the necessary adjustments should be
avoided;

9. Calls on the Commission to present proposals on how to use corporate social responsibility policy at
EU level to channel more private investment, financed by the current windfall profits in the oil industry,
into energy-saving programmes and alternative energy technologies and related R&D; believes that this
should be pursued on the basis of a voluntary agreement with oil companies or, alternatively, through an
EU-wide coordinated political initiative;

10. Notes that speculation on future higher prices further increases oil prices; calls on the Commission
to keep the hedge funds under review and examine ways in which added transparency could contribute to
more stable oil markets;

11. Recalls the importance of the existing legislation on reducing EU energy demand and notes that if
the existing and forthcoming legislation is fully implemented, energy savings of at least 23 % could be
achieved by 2020;

12. Calls on the Commission to propose measures in the transport sector, which accounts for 70 % of
total EU oil consumption, as a matter of urgency, not only with a view to guaranteeing security of supply
for petroleum products but also on environmental grounds, such as the use of more fuel-efficient engines
and conversion to alternative fuel and propulsion technologies;

13. Agrees with the Commission that biofuels will reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and calls on the
Commission to encourage the production of raw materials for biofuels;

14. Urges the Commission and Member States to accelerate the development of renewable energy
sources as well as hydrogen fuel cells;

15. Calls on the Commission therefore to:

— bring forward the European Action Plan on energy efficiency which is to follow the Green Paper

(COM(2005)0265),

— increase pressure for the full and rapid implementation by Member States of the Directive on the

energy performance of buildings (Directive 2002/91/EC),

— push strongly for an agreement on the Energy Services Directive during the December Energy Council,

— increase transparency and predictability of oil markets through improved collection and aggregation of

information,

— press Member States to fulfil their renewable energy targets, as set in the Directive on the promotion of

electricity produced from renewable energy sources (Directive 2001/77/EC),

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Thursday, 29 September 2005

— put forward proposals for car manufacturers to develop cleaner and less oil product-consuming

vehicles,

— counter, together with the Member States, the risk of increased social exclusion and reduce the negative

effects of rising oil prices on the most vulnerable social groups,

— work towards greater use of environmentally-friendly coal-based energy;

16. Regrets, however, that in its communication of 6 September 2005 on the ‘five-point plan to react to
the surge in oil prices’, the Commission completely omitted to address the transport sector;

Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission and the govern-

17.
ments and parliaments of the Member States.

P6_TA(2005)0362

Reform of the UN, the Millennium Development Goals

European Parliament resolution on the outcome of the United Nations World Summit of
14-16 September 2005

The European Parliament,

— having regard to its resolution of 12 April 2005 on the role of the European Union in the achievement
of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), (1) as well as those of 9 June 2005 on the reform of the
United Nations (2) and of 29 January 2004 on the relations between the European Union and the
United Nations (3),

— having regard to the Millennium Declaration of 8 September 2000, which sets out the Millennium
Development Goals established jointly by the international community as a means by which to elimi-
nate world poverty,

— having regard to the report of the UN Secretary-General of 21 March 2005 entitled ‘In larger freedom:

towards development, security and human rights for all’,

— having regard to the report of the UN Millennium Project of 17 January 2005 entitled ‘Investing in

Development: a Practical Plan to Achieve the Millennium Development Goals’,

— having regard to the report of the High-Level Panel on Threats, Challenges and Change of 1 December

2004 entitled ‘A more secure world: Our shared responsibility’,

— having regard to the statements made by the President of the Commission and the Commissioner for

External Relations to the High-Level Plenary Meeting of the UN General Assembly,

— having regard to the Outcome Document of the 2005 UN World Summit adopted in New York on

16 September 2005,

— having regard to Rule 103(4) of its Rules of Procedure,

(1) Texts Adopted, P6_TA(2005)0115.
(2) Texts Adopted, P6_TA(2005)0237.
(3) OJ C 96 E, 21.4.2004, p. 79.