69 Amendments of Lena KOLARSKA-BOBIŃSKA related to 2011/2034(INI)
Amendment 8 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 14 a (new)
Citation 14 a (new)
Amendment 9 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 15
Citation 15
– having regard to its resolutions of 16 June 20107 and 17 February 20118 on Europe 2020,
Amendment 9 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Underlines that the upgrading and renewal of energy infrastructure are essential factors for achieving the objectives of the Europe 2020 Strategy; notes that regional and local authorities play the most important role in the authorisation processes as well as in promoting EIPs to the general population; believes in this context the Union must also work with Member States and regional authorities not only on crossborder infrastructure but also the national and regional infrastructure that connects energy highways to the national distribution networks;
Amendment 11 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Stresses the need to modernise the EU grid as a whole and for the Union to support Member States and regions in this task as part of territorial cohesion; underlines that renewable energy projects can only succeed if the national transmission networks are modern enough to support the nature of this new energy;
Amendment 14 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas our major energy challenges are confronting climate change, strengthening energy autonomsecurity while reducing fossil fuel importdiversifying energy suppliers and sources, achieving a competitive internal energy market and ensuring universal access to sustainable, affordable and secure energy,
Amendment 14 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 b (new)
Paragraph 1 b (new)
1b. Underlines the need for the Commission to adopt a multi-level governance approach to infrastructure development as local and regional authorities are necessary partners in terms of planning, funding and communication; stresses that this approach should also be adopted with a view to setting and respecting EU-wide energy objectives and priorities;
Amendment 27 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas the Lisbon Treaty provides a specific legal basis for developing an EU energy policy which promotes the interconnection of energy networks across national and regional borders which is necessary to achieve the other EU energy policy objectives (functioning of the energy market, energy efficiency and renewable energy, security of supply),
Amendment 31 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Asks the Commission to ensure its energy infrastructure policies give every region the possibility to be a producer as well as a consumer of sustainable energy; stresses that this is needed for both security and economic reasons;
Amendment 51 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E
Recital E
E. whereas the availability of interconnection capacity or interconnection capacity itself between Member States remains generally insufficient in some cases, and whereas certain regions remain isolated,
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 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 70 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G
Recital G
G. whereas energy infrastructures planned today must be consistent with market needs and long-term EU climate and energy objectives,
Amendment 76 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H
Recital H
H. whereas energy efficiency offers a powerful and cost-effective tool for achieving a sustainable energy future and can partially reduce the need for investment in energy infrastructure and to relocate plants in response to rising costs,
Amendment 84 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H
Recital H
H. whereas energy efficiency offers a powerful and cost-effective tool for achieving a sustainable energy future and can partially reduce the supply-side need for investment in energy infrastructure,
Amendment 86 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital I
Recital I
I. whereas smart grids and meters could provide an important opportunity to establish an efficient relationship between energy production, energy transmission, energy distribution and users,
Amendment 118 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Stresses the crucial importance of timely and full implementation of existing legislation, including the regulatory work called for by the third internal energy market package, in order to guarantee comparable terms of competition;
Amendment 141 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Stresses that the reference scenario used for assessing the energy infrastructure for 2020 needs to be consistent with the overall energy policy objectives and the EU's 2050 roadmap, and with other EU policies (such as transport, buildings and the Emission Trading Scheme (ETS)), including energy efficiency policies (notably the implementation of the forthcoming energy efficiency action plan (EEP)) as well as the potential impact of technological advances and the deployment of ‘smart cities’ initiatives;
Amendment 146 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Emphasises the need to identify, according to a hierarchy of importance, where infrastructure could be minimised through energy efficiency policies, where existingexisting national and trans-border infrastructure can be upgraded or modernised and where new infrastructure is needed and can be built alongside existing infrastructure;
Amendment 156 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Considers that the development of electricity infrastructure between the EU and third countries can create a risk of carbon leakage importing network increase that risk where already present; calls on the Commission to bring forward, wherever necessary, measures to address this issue as a ‘carbon inclusion mechanism’ or require conformity wistability; calls, therefore, on the network operators, the regulatory authorities, including ACER, and the Commission to create, in cooperation with the network operators and authorities in third countries, conditions conducive to the establishment of the degree of network stability needed to secure the involvement of neighbouring countries in the EU internal energy market, a precondition for achieving the EU Directive 2009/28/EC; ’s objectives in the area of the development of renewable energies;
Amendment 174 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7a. Calls on the Commission to submit by the end of 2011 proposed solutions to the trade-offs described by the European coordinator Georg Wilhelm Adamowitsch in his third annual report of 15 November 2010, for example that between the urgent need for new infrastructure and rigid environmental protection rules;
Amendment 183 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Considers that, although the Ten-Year Network Development Plan (TYNDP) identifies relevant electricity infrastructure projects, it should also set the priorities to be developed in order to achievtake into account and work towards the EU energy and climate goals;
Amendment 190 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Calls on the Commission, with a view to ensuring better governance of future EU electricity and gas infrastructure planning, to present a concrete proposal to improve transparency and public participation in determining EU priorities within a broader stakeholder participation process involving the power sector, independent experts; consumer organisations and NGOs;
Amendment 205 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Considers that the TYNDP should form the basis of a rolling programme for developing European gas transport and electricity transmission infrastructure within a long- term European planning perspective and with monitoring by the Agency for Cooperation of Energy Regulators (ACER) and the Commission, with due account being taken of the relevant provisions of the Third Internal Market Package;
Amendment 235 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)
Paragraph 11 a (new)
11a. Reminds the Commission, however, that every member state should also be given support to be a producer as well as a consumer of sustainable energy for both security and economic reasons;
Amendment 237 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 b (new)
Paragraph 11 b (new)
11b. Believes the Union must also focus on modernising the EU grid and support Member States in this task, especially in Central and Eastern Europe where the grid is the weakest; stresses in this context that it is futile to build massive renewable energy projects if the networks that they want to connect to are too old to support this new energy;
Amendment 242 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Endorses the importance of efficient gas infrastructures in enhancing diversification and security of supply and reducing energy dependence; highlights the need for additional flexibility requirements in gas infrastructures, in particular with a view to ensuring reverse flows, and stresses that gas infrastructure should be developed, with full account being taken of the contribution of LNG/ CNG terminals; welcomes the priority given towards the creation of a North-South gas axis in Central Europe;
Amendment 248 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Endorses the importance of efficient gas infrastructures in enhancing diversification and security of supply and reducing energy dependence; highlights the need for additional flexibility requirements in gas infrastructures, as set out in Regulation 994/2010, in particular with a view to ensuring reverse flows, and stresses that gas infrastructure should be developed, with full account being taken of the contribution of LNG/ CNG terminals;
Amendment 252 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)
Paragraph 12 a (new)
12a. Welcomes the Commission’s announcement that natural gas will take on an important role as a backup fuel; stresses, however, that other forms of energy and energy storage facilities will also have to take on this role if security of supply is to be ensured; underlines that a broad energy mix will continue to be the basis for secure, cost-effective energy supply;
Amendment 253 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)
Paragraph 12 a (new)
12a. Notes that, in contrast to all other infrastructure investment which the EU plans to incentivise, gas interconnections and storage under the 2009 Security of Gas Supply Regulation are compulsory infrastructure; asks the Commission to evaluate if some EU funding of the infrastructure improvements required under the 2009 regulation are needed;
Amendment 262 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Considers that the development of infrastructure for unconventional gas sources could help decrease Europe's dependence on foreign sources of gas; believes, however, that it has not yet been given the necessary attention by the Commission as regards legal issues, life cycle assessment and environmental impacts; asks the Commission to conduct a thorough evaluation on this issue; encourages those Member States were shale gas reserves are under development to work more jointly on issues related to it, including towards standards on cementing and casting of wells;
Amendment 273 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)
Paragraph 13 a (new)
13a. Asks the Commission to work towards diversification and security of oil sources as well as gas; believes the Commission should also evaluate the possibility a North-South oil axis and the extension of the Odessa-Brody oil pipeline;
Amendment 276 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 b (new)
Paragraph 13 b (new)
13b. Asks the Commission to assess the need for a new Security of Oil Supply Regulation based on the model of the Security of Gas Supply Regulation;
Amendment 296 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Urges the Commission to present by 2012 concrete initiatives to promote the development of energy storage capacities (including multi-use gas/hydrogen facilities, hydropower, high-temperature solar installations, compressed air and other technologies);
Amendment 313 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)
Paragraph 18 a (new)
18a. Supports enhanced cooperation between Member States towards the creation of regional regulatory authorities for multiple Member States; welcomes similar initiatives towards creating single regional TSOs;
Amendment 350 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Urges the Members States, in liaison with European standardisation bodies and industry, to speed up work on technical standards for electric vehicles, charging infrastructure and smart grids and meters, with a view to its completion by the end of 2012;
Amendment 366 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 a (new)
Paragraph 22 a (new)
22a. Calls on the Commission and Member States to work towards the selection of a standardised licensed radio spectrum band for smart meters and grids;
Amendment 382 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 – indent 1
Paragraph 24 – indent 1
Amendment 398 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 – indent 2
Paragraph 24 – indent 2
Amendment 408 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 – indent 3
Paragraph 24 – indent 3
– they must be in line with climate and environmental objectivobjectives in the areas of security of supply and diversification of countries of origin and supply routes,
Amendment 410 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 – indent 3
Paragraph 24 – indent 3
– they must be in line with climate and environmentalEU headline objectives,
Amendment 419 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 – indent 4
Paragraph 24 – indent 4
– they must be consistent with long-term EU energy policy (allowing flexible and multifunctional application and avoiding lock-in effects),
Amendment 426 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 – indent 5 a (new)
Paragraph 24 – indent 5 a (new)
- they must apply internal market rules in principle to whole of the project, subject to limited exemptions,
Amendment 427 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 – indent 5 b (new)
Paragraph 24 – indent 5 b (new)
- they must have transparent ownership and funding;
Amendment 429 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 a (new)
Paragraph 24 a (new)
24a. Believes that any exemption to these criteria should be subject to a QMV in both the Council and Parliament;
Amendment 438 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 – indent 1 a (new)
Paragraph 25 – indent 1 a (new)
- contribution to security of supply,
Amendment 440 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 – indent 1 b (new)
Paragraph 25 – indent 1 b (new)
- contribution to the strengthening of market competition,
Amendment 442 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 – indent 1 c (new)
Paragraph 25 – indent 1 c (new)
- the improvement of social and territorial cohesion,
Amendment 456 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 – indent 4
Paragraph 25 – indent 4
Amendment 470 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27 a (new)
Paragraph 27 a (new)
27a. Takes the view that only current projects that meet the criteria set out above shall continue to be deemed 'Projects of European Interest'; calls on the Commission to reassess all projects currently under the TEN-E or otherwise deemed a PEI and to remove those which do not meet these criteria; believes that all infrastructure projects, current and future, must be subject to these criteria in order to receive not only European financial support, but also for planning and political support;
Amendment 473 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27 b (new)
Paragraph 27 b (new)
27b. Calls on the Commission to ensure that projects granted the status of PEI continue to meet the criteria above after approval; believes that subject to any major change to a project, its PEI status should be reviewed;
Amendment 484 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29 a (new)
Paragraph 29 a (new)
29a. Stresses that any national contact authority must be independent and free from political or economic influence; believes that PEI must be processed in the order of arrival and within the time limit set out in the future Commission proposal;
Amendment 485 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29 b (new)
Paragraph 29 b (new)
29b. Believes projects not granted the title of PEI may also ask the help of national contact authorities; notes, however, that these project would be given a lower priority than PEI and would be subject to, if they exist, national approval deadlines;
Amendment 498 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32 a (new)
Paragraph 32 a (new)
32a. Believes the creation of the PEI permits may require the revision of the Environmental Impact Assessment Directive, despite its amendment only two years ago; calls on the Commission to assess this possibility and report back to the Parliament; believes that while wishing to reduce permit approval time, full independent surveys of environmental and other impacts must still be undertaken;
Amendment 499 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32 b (new)
Paragraph 32 b (new)
32b. 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;
Amendment 501 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 33
Paragraph 33
33. Asks the Commission to further assess whether compensatory mechanisms could prove useful for the approval of cross- border projects which do not bring benefits to certain (transit) regions but are nonetheless necessary for the achievement of EU energy objectivesRecalls that the 3rd 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;
Amendment 513 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 34
Paragraph 34
34. Notes that grid investments are cyclical and should be viewed in a historical perspective; points out that a large amount of the infrastructure built over the past decades to interconnect centralised power plants will become obsolete in the coming years; points out that society will expect the cost of keeping the existing infrastructure operational and of deploying new infrastructure to be optimised;
Amendment 527 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 35
Paragraph 35
35. StresseAccepts that the bulk of the cost of infrastructure investments needs to be financed by the market and based on the ‘user pays’ principle; takes the viewbut stresses that where key projects are not attractive to the market but their development is necessary in order to achieve the stated objectives, public funding should be used to lever private investment by setting up an innovative mix of financial instruments;
Amendment 530 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 35 a (new)
Paragraph 35 a (new)
35a. Notes the problems connected to the "user pays" principle in those Member States dominated by a limited number of market actors which leads to slow infrastructure development and renewal; regrets that this prevents the principle from being applied universally and therefore believes that in such cases, public financing may still be needed in order to built the infrastructure required to develop these national energy market as part of the European energy market;
Amendment 535 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 35 b (new)
Paragraph 35 b (new)
35b. Calls on the Commission to review state-aid rules in regard to energy infrastructure and if needed, to bring forward proposals to amend these rules to allow states to encourage the modernisation of infrastructure; calls on the Commission at the same time to issue a new guideline document on public financing of projects and current state aid legislative 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 Development in order to prevent Commission rules contradicting each other;
Amendment 542 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 36
Paragraph 36
36. Emphasises that a stable, predictable and appropriate regulatory framework that also provides incentives for the construction of new infrastructure is crucial in order to promote investment;
Amendment 545 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 36 a (new)
Paragraph 36 a (new)
36a. Notes that a number of Member States have not yet fully implemented the provisions of the second internal market package and is concerned that there will be substantial delays in implementing the third internal market package; calls on the Commission, therefore, to make compliance with the core provisions of internal market legislation relating to electricity and gas a condition for the granting of public funding, so as to step up the pressure on the Member States;
Amendment 559 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 37 a (new)
Paragraph 37 a (new)
37a. Stresses that the Cohesion and structural funds should continue to be central to our infrastructure projects; believes any attempt to create new sectoral funds from Cohesion policy funds to be misguided;
Amendment 565 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 38
Paragraph 38
38. Recalls the importance of transparent and non-discriminatory tariffs with a view to ensuring appropriate cost allocation for cross-border investments, fair prices for consumers and greater competitiveness; welcomes, therefore, the REMIT proposal from the European Commission;
Amendment 576 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 39 a (new)
Paragraph 39 a (new)
39a. Calls on the Commission to extend financial support, including by the European Investment Bank and other financial intermediaries, to the implementation phase of projects, to deal with market failures;
Amendment 578 #
Motion for a resolution
Subheading VI a (new) (after paragraph 39)
Subheading VI a (new) (after paragraph 39)
VIa. Other Infrastructure Issues
Amendment 579 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 39 b (new) (after subheading VI a (new))
Paragraph 39 b (new) (after subheading VI a (new))
39b. Considers that all external pipelines and other energy networks entering the territory of the European Union should be governed by transparent intergovernmental agreements and subject to internal market rules, including rules on third party access, destination clauses, supervision of allocation and bottleneck management, the duration of the contracts and take or pay clauses; calls on the Commission to ensure that current and future pipelines and commercial agreements respect the European energy acquis and to take action if necessary;
Amendment 580 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 39 c (new) (after subheading VI a (new))
Paragraph 39 c (new) (after subheading VI a (new))
39c. Calls on the Commission to further restrict the granting of third-party access exemptions on energy infrastructure and for those granted to be reviewed to see if they are still needed; notes that the provision of public finance or support for projects through instruments like EIB- backed project bonds, etc., should reduce or remove the need to receive TPA exemptions;