19 Amendments of Viorica DĂNCILĂ related to 2016/0030(COD)
Amendment 49 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 2
Recital 2
(2) A major disruption of the gas supply can affect all Member States, the Union as a whole and Contracting Parties to the Treaty establishing the Energy Community, signed in Athens on 25 October 2005. It can also severely damage the Union economy and can have a major social impact, particularly on vulnerable groups of customers, such as installations with a continuous operating flow.
Amendment 52 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 3
Recital 3
(3) This Regulation aims to ensure that all the necessary non-discriminatory measures are taken to safeguard an uninterrupted supply of gas throughout the Union, in particular to protected customers in the event of difficult climatic conditions or disruptions of the gas supply. These objectives should be achieved through the most cost-effective intra- and interregional measures and, in such a way that energy markets are not distorted. and the minimum damage level in the case of installations with a continuous operating flow is not affected.
Amendment 61 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 6
Recital 6
(6) The Commission Communication ‘Framework Strategy for a Resilient Energy Union with a Forward-Looking Climate Change Policy’14 from February 2015, highlights the fact that the Energy Union rests on solidarity and trust, which are necessary features of energy security. This regulation should aim to boost solidarity and trust, trust and interconnections between the Member States and should put in place the measures needed to achieve these aims, thus paving the way for implementing the Energy Union. __________________ 14 Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee, the Committee of the Regions and the European Investment Bank, COM(2015) 80 final.
Amendment 64 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 7
Recital 7
(7) An internal gas market that operates smoothly is the best guarantee of security of energy supply across the Union and to reduce the exposure of individual Member States to the harmful effects of supply disruptions. Where a Member State’s security of supply is threatened, there is a risk that measures developed unilaterally by that Member State may jeopardise the proper functioning of the internal gas market and damage the gas supply to customers in other Member States. To allow the internal gas market to function even in the face of a shortage of supply, provision must be made for solidarity and coordination in the response to supply crises in a Member State which risk sparking a domino effect on the EU market, as regards both preventive action and the reaction to actual disruptions of supply.
Amendment 67 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 8
Recital 8
(8) So far, the potential for more efficient and less costly measures through regional cooperation has not been fully exploited. This has to do not only with b, and an open concept of regional cooperation is needed, with the possibility of reconfiguring cooperation formats on the basis of consultations with the Member States, taking account of the energy dynamic. Better coordination of national mitigation actions in emergency situations, but also is recommended, as well as of national preventive measures, such as national storage or policies related to liquefied natural gas (LNG), which can be strategically important in certain regions.
Amendment 71 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 9
Recital 9
(9) In a spirit of solidarity, regional cooperation, involving both public authorities and natural gas undertakings, shouldmust be the guiding principle of this Regulation, to identify the relevant risks in each region, based on relevant analyses, and to optimise the benefits of coordinated measures to mitigate themat local, regional and cross- border level, in order to mitigate them and consolidate the security of the gas supply, and to implement the most cost-effective measures for Union consumers, defined by common accord with the Member States.
Amendment 89 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 20
Recital 20
(20) In order to make the regional cooperation feasible, Member States should establish a cooperation mechanism within each regionclear administrative mechanisms, at intra- and interregional level, that would apply in emergency situations and on the basis of which the competent authorities could act. Such mechanism or mechanisms should be developed sufficiently in time to allow for conducting the risk assessment and, drawing up meaningful plans at regional level and avoiding unfair costs for consumers. Member States are free to agree on a cooperation mechanism best suited for a given region, and this mechanism may be reconfigured in line with the energy dynamic. The Commission should have a facilitating role in the overall process and share best practises for arranging regional cooperation such as a rotating coordination role within the region for the preparation of the different documents or establishing dedicated bodies. In absence of an agreement on the cooperation mechanism, the Commission may propose a suitable cooperation mechanism for a given region.
Amendment 95 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 23
Recital 23
(23) To ensure maximum preparedness, so as to avoid a supply disruption and mitigate its effects should it nevertheless occur, the competent authorities of a given region must draw up preventive action plans and emergency, after consulting stakeholders. Regional plans should take account of the specific characteristics of each Member State. They should also clearly define the roles and responsibilities of the natural gas undertakings and the competent authorities. National measures to be designed should take fully account of the regional measures set out in the preventive action plan and emergency plan. They should be so designed as to address national risks in a way that takes full advantage of the opportunities provided by regional cooperation. The plans should be technical and operational in nature, their function being to help prevent the occurrence or escalation of an emergency and, to mitigate its effects and to avoid the emergence of unfair costs for consumers. The plans should take the security of electricity systems into account and be consistent with the Energy Union’s strategic planning and reporting tools.
Amendment 98 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 25
Recital 25
(25) In the event of a supply crisis, market players should be given sufficient opportunity to respond to the situation with market-based measures. Where market measures have been exhausted and they are still insufficient, Member States and their competent authorities should take measures to remove or mitigate the effects of the supply crisis, with the aim of making it possible to maintain a minimum damage level of supply in order to ensure that installations, in particular those with a continuous operating flow, are not affected.
Amendment 100 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 25
Recital 25
(25) In the event of a supply crisis, market players should be given sufficient opportunity to respond to the situation with market-based measures. Where market measures have not been timely, or have been exhausted and they are still insufficient, Member States and their competent authorities should take measures to remove or mitigate the effects of the supply crisis.
Amendment 103 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 28
Recital 28
(28) Demand-side measures, such as fuel switching or reducing the gas supply to large industrial consumers in an economically efficient order, may have a valuable role to play in ensuring energy security, if they can be applied quickly and significantly reduce demand in response to a supply disruption. More should be done to promote efficient energy use, particularly where demand-side measures are needed. Priority should be given to investments aimed at exploiting the sustainable energy potential at local level. The environmental impact of any demand and supply-side measures proposed must be taken into account, with preference being given, as far as possible, to measures that have least impact on the environment. At the same time, security of supply and competitiveness aspects must be taken into account.
Amendment 106 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 32
Recital 32
(32) The regional preventive action plans and emergency plans should, correlated with those at national level, must be updated regularly and published. They should be subject to peer review. The peer review process allows for early identification of inconsistencies and measures that could endanger other Member States’ security of supply, thereby ensuring that plans from different regions are consistent with one another. It also enables Member States to share best practice.
Amendment 108 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 36
Recital 36
(36) As demonstrated by the October 2014 stress test, solidarity based on regional cooperation is needed to ensure security of supply across the Union and to keep overall costs to a minimum. This solidarity should/could be defined on three levels of action – bilateral or regional, interregional and European – and it should not be left to an individual regional group alone if a consistent and uniform approach at EU level is needed. If an emergency is declared in any Member State, a two-step approach should be applied to strengthen solidarity. Firstly, all Member States which have introduced a higher supply standard should reduce it to default values to make the gas market more liquid. Secondly, if the first step fails to provide the necessary supply, further measures by neighbouring Member States, even if not in an emergency situation, should be triggered to ensure the supply to households, essential social services and district heating installations in the Member State experiencing the emergency. Member States should identify and describe the details of these solidarity measures in their emergency plans, ensuring fair and equitable compensation of the natural gas undertakings.
Amendment 110 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 41
Recital 41
(41) One of the Union goals is to strengthen the Energy Community that would ensure effective implementation of the Union energy acquis, energy market reforms and incentivising investments in the energy sector by closer integration of the Union and Energy Community energy markets. This entails also introducing common crisis management by proposing preventive and emergency plans at the regional level including the Energy Community Contracting Parties. To this end, forecasts should be drawn up of consumption at regional level and the available reserves, which would make it possible to strengthen the ability to respond in the event of a crisis. Furthermore, the Commission Communication on the short term resilience of the European gas system from October 2014 refers to the need to apply internal energy market rules on the flow of energy between the Union Member States and the Energy Community Contracting Parties. In this regard, in order to ensure an efficient crisis management on borders between the Union Member States and the Contracting Parties, the necessary arrangements following the adoption of a Joint Act should be set so that specific cooperation with any individual Energy Community Contracting Party can take place once the required mutual provisions have been duly put into place.
Amendment 112 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 43
Recital 43
(43) Where there is reliable information on a situation outside the Union that threatens the security of supply of one or several Member States and that may trigger an early warning mechanism involving the Union and a third country, the Commission should inform the Gas Coordination Group without delay and the Union should take appropriate action to try to defuse the situation. Where the situation allows and adequate infrastructure exists, the Commission and Member States could grant temporary aid to third countries in crisis.
Amendment 125 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 3 – paragraph 6
Article 3 – paragraph 6
6. The measures to ensure the security of supply contained in the regional preventive action plans and in the emergency plans, correlated with those at national level, shall be clearly defined, transparent, proportionate, non- discriminatory and verifiable, shall not unduly distort competition and the effective functioning of the internal market in gas and, shall not endanger the security of gas supply of other Member States or of the Union as a whole and shall not give rise to unfair costs for consumers.
Amendment 128 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 4 – paragraph 7 a (new)
Article 4 – paragraph 7 a (new)
7a. The competent authorities shall study the possibility of using the opportunities offered by the CEF ‘Energy’ and ESI funds in general to develop energy infrastructure in the regions and adequate interconnections for those regions.
Amendment 142 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 7 – paragraph 1 – point b a (new)
Article 7 – paragraph 1 – point b a (new)
(ba) a mechanism, where possible, to stabilise prices in an emergency situation similar to the CBCA (Cross Border Cost Allocation) mechanism.
Amendment 143 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 7 – paragraph 1 – point b a (new)
Article 7 – paragraph 1 – point b a (new)
(ba) arrangements for sharing costs between Member States where a customer in one Member State is adversely affected by a disruption in gas consumption and is forced to move to other fuels (from gas to oil in the case of power plants), owing to protected supplies to customers in the other Member State.