2006/791/EC: Commission Decision of 7 November 2006 establishing the composition of the Gas Coordination Group   (Text with EEA relevance)

18.11.2006 EN Official Journal of the European Union L 319/49
COMMISSION DECISION
of 7 November 2006
establishing the composition of the Gas Coordination Group
(Text with EEA relevance)
(2006/791/EC)
THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
,
Having regard to Council Directive 2004/67/EC of 26 April 2004 concerning measures to safeguard security of natural gas supply (1), and in particular Article 7(2) thereof,
Whereas:
(1) Article 7(1) of Directive 2004/67/EC has established a Gas Coordination Group in order to facilitate the coordination of security of supply measure. This Group shall be composed of the representatives of Member States and representative bodies of the industry concerned and of relevant consumers.
(2) It is necessary to establish the detailed composition of the Gas Coordination Group.
(3) In the light of the provisions of Directive 2003/55/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 26 June 2003 concerning common rules for the internal market in gas and repealing Directive 98/30/EC (2), the following bodies of the industry concerned should be considered to be representative:
— the representative European association of the large network operators, i.e. the transmission system operators in the sense of Article 2(4) of Directive 2003/55/EC,
— the representative European association of the gas supplying industry,
— the international association representing gas producers in Europe.
(4) As for the relevant consumers, three main sectors consuming natural gas should be distinguished:
— the industrial sector representing 35 % of total European gas consumption,
— the power sector using gas as a fuel and accounting for 22 % of total European gas consumption, and
— the household sector representing 39 % of total European gas consumption.
(5) Representatives of the bodies representing these sectors should therefore also participate in the meetings of the Gas Coordination Group.
(6) Rules on disclosure of information by participants of the group should be provided for, without prejudice to the Commission’s rules on security as set out in the Annex to Commission Decision 2001/844/EC, ECSC, Euratom (3).
(7) The Gas Coordination Group should help to facilitate coordination of security of supply measures at Community level in the event of a major supply disruption and may also examine and, where appropriate, assist the Member States in coordinating the measures taken at national level to deal with the major supply disruption. In addition, it should exchange information on security of gas supply on a regular basis, and should consider aspects relevant in the context of a major supply disruption,