11 Amendments of Joachim ZELLER related to 2011/2034(INI)
Amendment 2 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Underlines that the upgrading and renewal of energy infrastructure are essential factors for achieving the 20/20/20 as well as the objectives of the Europe 2020 Strategy; emphasises that not only crossborder infrastructure needs to be improved but also infrastructure that allows the transmission to and from transmission highways and the distribution on national level; notes that regional and local authorities play the most important role in the authorisation processes as well as in promoting EIPenergy infrastructure projects to the general population;
Amendment 12 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Emphasises that the greatest challenge lies in securing local public acceptance for energy infrastructure projects; is convinced that the acceptance and trust of members of the public and decision-makers can only be won by holding open and transparent debates in the run-up to decisions on energy infrastructure projects;
Amendment 13 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 b (new)
Paragraph 1 b (new)
1b. Calls for authorisation procedures to be speeded up (maximum five years) and simplified (one-stop shop); emphasises, however, that planning rights lie with the Member States and regions and that any EU-wide approximation of authorisation procedures must be consistent with the subsidiarity principle;
Amendment 32 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Welcomes the decision to focus on a small number of infrastructure priorities over the period to 2020 by concentrating on ‘projects of European interest’; calls on the Commission to develop precise criteria to be used in selecting these projects, in close coordination with the Member States and regional and local stakeholders;
Amendment 48 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. CSupports the prompt launch of the ‘Intelligent cities’ partnership for innovation and calls on relevant partners to better promote and profit from the benefits JESSICA can provide for urban energy infrastructure; points out the potential of cross-border funding with neighbouring countries in the framework of the ENPI;
Amendment 58 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Asks the Commission to evaluate if the modernisation and upgrading of existing energy corridors is preferable to new corridors as to cost-efficiency and public acceptance; asks furthermore for the interconnector capabilities of the regions to be assessed;
Amendment 59 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 b (new)
Paragraph 5 b (new)
5b. Recalls that the 3rd energy package creates an obligation for regulators, in setting tariffs, not only to evaluate investments on the basis of benefits in their Member State, but on the basis of EU-wide benefits; urges the ACER to ensure their members heed this obligation and asks the Commission to consider compensatory mechanisms where costs and benefits cannot be fairly allocated through tariff-setting and for this compensation to be shared with the towns and regions effected;
Amendment 62 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Calls on the Commission to ensure that financing of infrastructure investments is market-based, in order to prevent distortions of competition and the creation of false incentives for investment, provided, however, that public interest – especially at local and regional level – is also safeguarded.
Amendment 67 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6a.Notes the problems in those regions dominated by a limited number of market actors which leads to slow infrastructure development and renewal; regrets that this prevents the 'user pays' principle from being applied universally and therefore believes that in such cases, public financing may still be needed in order to build the infrastructure required to develop these national and regional energy markets as part of the European energy market; asks the Commission to review state-aid rules in this regard and if needed, to bring forward proposals to amend these rules to allow Member States to encourage the modernisation of infrastructure;
Amendment 68 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 b (new)
Paragraph 6 b (new)
6b. Calls on the Commission to issue a new guideline document on public financing of projects and current state aid legislation which presents clear criteria for public funding of energy infrastructure; stresses that this document must be developed jointly by DG Energy, DG Competition and DG Regional Policy in order to prevent Commission rules contradicting each other;
Amendment 69 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6a. Calls for steps to be taken to ensure compliance with international agreements, such as the Espoo Convention, before cross-border projects are undertaken or further developed, and draws attention, in the context of the expansion of energy networks, to the need to foster closer cooperation, in particular between Russia and Belarus and the Baltic States, and, in that connection, to develop the EU-Russia energy dialogue, in particular with a view to achieving the objective of energy security for the EU Member States and regions;