56 Amendments of Dan NICA related to 2015/2113(INI)
Amendment 28 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
Amendment 43 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
Recital B a (new)
Ba. whereas the Energy Union should be based on a transition away from fossil fuels and towards the three pillars of energy efficiency, renewable energy and smart infrastructure;
Amendment 68 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas measures for developing the Energy Union and achieving the 2030 climate & energy targets must take full account of the impacts on energy prices, and focus on synergies and further market integration which will help reduce overall costs and improve the competitiveness of the EU economy in order to get the necessary support from citizens and industry;
Amendment 69 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)
Recital C a (new)
Ca. whereas the Energy Union should be a new energy model for Europe, based on strong cross-cutting legislative grounds and strong objectives; governance of the Energy Union must be transparent; guaranteeing a stable framework and including the European Parliament in the decision making-process while promoting the role of local authorities and citizens;
Amendment 77 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas the goal of a resilient Energy Union with an ambitious climate policy at its core is to give EU consumensure the transition to a new energy model which empowers – households and businesses –to produce and consume secure, sustainable, competitive and affordable energy; other high priority goals include creating jobs and reducing energy poverty;
Amendment 78 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D a (new)
Recital D a (new)
Da. whereas the issue of energy poverty needs to be tackled within the framework of the Energy Union by empowering vulnerable consumers, improving energy efficiency for the most vulnerable and developing curative measures making energy affordable for those in need;
Amendment 82 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D a (new)
Recital D a (new)
Da. whereas energy poverty can be defined as the inability of a household to support an adequate level of energy supply so as to guarantee basic levels of comfort and health, due to a combination of low income, high energy prices and low quality housing stock;
Amendment 110 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G
Recital G
G. whereas the EU imports more than half of all the energy it consumes, its import dependency is particularly high for crude oil (more than 90 %) and natural gas (66 %), and the total import bill is more than EUR 1 billion per day; whereas a primary goal of the energy union should be to sharply reduce the need for energy imports;
Amendment 120 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H
Recital H
H. whereas many countries are heavily reliant on a single supplier, including some that rely entirely on Russia for their natural gas and others that heavily rely on Northern Africa, which could leaves them vulnerable to supply disruptions, whether these are caused by political or commercial disputes, or infrastructure failure;
Amendment 187 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital S
Recital S
S. whereas, notwithstanding its global dominance in investment in renewable energy, the IEA's World Energy Outlook 2014 predicts that based on planned policies, global energy demand towill grow by 37 % by 2040 and global coal demand by 15 % by 2040although growing by 15 % over the same period, actually shrinks as a percentage of overall energy demand; whereas the share of gas in 2040 is projected to decrease in Europe back to 2010 levels; whereas nonetheless these projections would mean a 3.6°C increase in global temperatures, clearly at odds with the UN goal of a maximum 2°C temperature rise;
Amendment 195 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital T a (new)
Recital T a (new)
Ta. whereas switching energy suppliers is an extremely important tool to help drive competition in energy retail markets and bring down prices; however attention must be paid to the risk of less-informed citizens who are less likely to compare and switch providers being stranded on uncompetitive outdated tariffs, thus perversely subsidising the more savvy and informed consumers;
Amendment 208 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital U a (new)
Recital U a (new)
Ua. whereas new interconnections will also require additional reinforcements of the existing grid in order to fully use their capacity;
Amendment 227 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital X
Recital X
X. whereas the International Energy Agency's estimates that the EU is responsible for 11 % of global greenhouse gas emissions and that this proportion is set to decrease in the future thanks to policies to promote energy efficiency and renewable energies; whereas the EU's contribution to lowering global emissions must happen alongside that of other major emitters;
Amendment 258 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Emphasises that the Energy Union should adopt a comprehensive approach focusing on dimensions such as achievement of a fully integrated internal energy market, security of supply, moderation of energy demand, decarbonisation of the energy mix, essentially based on renewable energy sources, and research and innovation aiming for energy technology leadership: stresses that European citizens should be at the core of the Energy Union; calls for bottom-up approaches and the recognition of the importance of a well- functioning, efficient and reliable energy system on the local level;
Amendment 336 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7a. Calls on the Commission to set up a comprehensive framework for the external dimension of the Energy Union, with specific reference to the promotion of strategic partnerships with producing and transit third countries and taking into account the current state of regional cooperation; previous and new strategic partnership should be considered and explored in order to enhance dialogue and cooperation on oil and natural gas, energy efficiency and renewable sources, trade and interconnections of the Energy Union with external electricity grids;
Amendment 371 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Stresses that all future intergovernmental energy agreements with non-EU parties must be discussed with the Commission ahead of signing in order to make sure that they comply with EU legislation, in particular with the Third Energy Packagecomply with the terms set in Decision 994/2012/EU establishing an information exchange mechanism with regard to intergovernmental agreements between Member States and third countries in the field of energy; calls on the Commission to revise Decision 994/2012/EU so as to strengthen the information mechanism;
Amendment 410 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Calls on the Commission to consider establishing an EU-wide target for reducing energy import dependency and to publish regular progress reports in this respect; however, considers that properly enforceable and binding targets or energy efficiency and renewable energies are the primary means of reducing import dependency; Calls on the Commission to propose a revision of the Regulation (EU) 994/2010 on security of gas supply with a view to enhancing reserves, possibly establishing common strategic reserves and so as to facilitate a switch from gas to renewable energy sources such as biomass, geothermal and solar thermal;
Amendment 416 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)
Paragraph 13 a (new)
13a. Emphasises that it is essential to increase the participation of European industry and technology in the entire energy production chain, which includes not only raw materials but also generation, refinement, storage, transportation and distribution, since these are crucial elements for decreasing the EU's dependence on energy imports;
Amendment 423 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Believes that diversity in the energy mixes of Member States, based on their respective potential, experience, know-how and economic costs and needs, is an asset to the EU as a whole, since it strengthens its resilience to supply disruptions, enables it to make cost-optimal energy choices and allows different technologies to develop and compete on the market, thereby driving down the costs of energy; stresses however that a cross-cutting, stable and transparent governance framework for the Energy Union, based on fully implementing legislation and setting binding targets and strong objectives would strengthen the EU's resilience to supply disruption, enable it to make cost- optimal choices, thereby driving down the costs of energy. Binding national and EU targets for energy efficiency and renewables create growth and jobs and would help secure the EU's technological leadership in these fields;
Amendment 438 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Believes that the Union can reduce its dependency on particular suppliers and fuels by maximising its use of indigenousrenewable sources of energy, including conventional and unconv and the potentional low-emission fossil fuels and renewables, and therefore stresses that no fuel or technology contributing to energy security and climate goals should be discriminated against;for energy efficiency in buildings and transport
Amendment 484 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Calls on the Commission to facilitate the effective use of existing EU funding schemes, including the European Fund for Strategic Investments, so as to support investment in the development of Europe's indigachieve and exceed the European Council's 2030 climate and energy objectives of reducing greenhous energy resources, based on a technology-neutral approach;e gas emissions by at least 40%; increasing the share of renewable energy by at least 27% and increasing energy efficiency by at least 27% (having in mind a 30% target),
Amendment 495 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Calls on the Commission, and in particular DG TRADE, to continue to press for a dedicated energy chapter within the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), with a view to removing US export restrictions on both crude oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) and eliminating unjustified protectionist measures;
Amendment 524 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 a (new)
Paragraph 20 a (new)
20a. Stresses the importance for strengthening energy independence of short-term measures such as reducing energy demand, development of renewables and their storage, storage of gas, development of reverse gas flow infrastructure, support of new projects, which enable maximum use of existing infrastructure, preparation of regional security of supply plans, and more effective use of the opportunities to import liquefied natural gas, especially in those Member States which are exclusively dependent on, or unduly vulnerable to, one single supplier of natural gas; draws attention to the key importance of improving links between Member States' networks in order to establish an integrated energy market; points out that for all these reasons there is a vital need for cooperation between the European cities and municipalities, regions, energy cooperatives and local initiatives in various sectors, the Commission, Member States, neighbouring countries, regulatory bodies, ACER transmission system operators, gas suppliers and storage operators;
Amendment 555 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 a (new)
Paragraph 21 a (new)
21a. Calls on the Commission to monitor the evolution of final energy prices in Europe, including taxes, levies, subsidies and any other hidden costs, with a view to identify actions that may help reduce such prices;
Amendment 562 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 a (new)
Paragraph 21 a (new)
21a. Considers that as part of any review of the retail energy markets, serious consideration should be given to further measures to protect consumers such as encouraging and promoting collective switching schemes, requiring energy bills to include comparisons with competitors based on historical consumption patterns, requiring suppliers to automatically place their customers on the most advantageous tariff available, and ensuring a limited, easily comparable range of standardised tariffs;
Amendment 575 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 a (new)
Paragraph 22 a (new)
Amendment 602 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24
Paragraph 24
24. Stresses that a properly designed future model of the electricity market in the EU must aim at a more market-based and optimal, from the point of view of network security, integrationfully take into account the changing nature of energy supply and demand, including the increased uptake of micro- generation, demand-response technology and the ever-increasing share of renewable energy sources;
Amendment 623 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 a (new)
Paragraph 24 a (new)
24a. Calls for the development of well- integrated and competitive regional electricity and gas markets that ensure the adequacy and flexibility of the energy system covering all parts of the Union; demands that the Commission act decisively and transparently against all instances of protectionism, anti- competitive behaviour and barriers to market entry and exit; emphasises the importance to ensure stable national regulatory frameworks, address administrative barriers and stream-line national administrative procedures, also to guarantee a level playing field for citizens based projects;
Amendment 628 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 b (new)
Paragraph 24 b (new)
24b. Calls on the Commission to implement key infrastructure projects in order to ensure better integration with the EU energy market and security of supply mechanism;
Amendment 637 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 b (new)
Paragraph 24 b (new)
24b. Believes that national capacity mechanisms should only be used as a last resort, once all other options have been considered, including increased interconnection with neighbouring countries, demand-side response measures and other forms of regional market integration;
Amendment 655 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 a (new)
Paragraph 25 a (new)
25a. Calls on the European Commission to revise the PCI criteria to allow for smart grid projects to be prioritised, bearing in mind that distributed generation is connected to the distribution grids, which requires them to adapt to new dynamics through upgraded grids;
Amendment 656 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 a (new)
Paragraph 25 a (new)
25a. Stresses that the deployment of smart distribution grids needs to be facilitated through accelerated permission procedures as well as political support and adapted regulatory frameworks for network operators, that recognise the changing needs for investments and incentivise investments in ICT and automation on an equal footing with traditional grid extension;
Amendment 715 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28
Paragraph 28
28. Stresses the need to create a legislative framework that empowers consumers and makes them active participants in the market as investors and stakeholders; notes that consumers' involvement can be strengthened through, inter alia, energy cooperatives and micro-generation and enhanced transparency of prices and consumer choices; points out that such initiatives could contribute to reducing energy prices and help address serious social problems, such as fuel poverty; in this regard, ask the Commission to ensure that Member States fully implement the Third Energy Package and come up with a definition of vulnerable consumers; ask the Commission to gather impact assessments and collection of best practices of measures taken at national level to fight energy poverty and make sure that those best practices are centralised and promoted by a dedicated European body;
Amendment 717 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28 a (new)
Paragraph 28 a (new)
28a. Notes that a more decentralised and flexible energy system, with power and heat sources being placed closer to the point of consumption, can facilitate small- scale energy generation and therefore empowers consumers to be more involved in the energy market, control their own energy use, diminishes transmission and distribution losses, the risk of attacking improves the resilience of energy infrastructure and simultaneously provides local business opportunities for small and medium-sized enterprises; calls on the Commission and the Member States, therefore, to facilitate further development and expansion of local and regional renewable energy sources and of local and regional distribution networks and district heating networks through policies that tackle existing barriers and help bring about market transformation; calls on the Commission to propose guidelines on energy self-consumption in order to promote its use and protect the rights of consumers;
Amendment 751 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29 a (new)
Paragraph 29 a (new)
29a. Recalls that the moderation of energy demand, in particular energy demand used for heating, through energy savings and energy efficiency is crucial for a number of reasons, impacting positively on the EU's energy security, competitiveness, economic growth and sustainability, as well as on energy affordability, combatting energy poverty and creating sustainable jobs; highlights in this regard, that according to the International Energy Agency, energy efficiency investments represent the best return on investment of any energy resource; calls on the European Commission and the Member States to treat energy efficiency as an energy source in its own right representing the value of energy saved; underlines that energy efficiency and demand-side response shall compete on equal terms with generation capacity, taking due consideration of urgent and exceptional energy security problems and whenever is technically feasible; therefore encourages Member States to give energy efficiency primary consideration in their policies;
Amendment 766 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30
Paragraph 30
Amendment 786 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30 a (new)
Paragraph 30 a (new)
30a. Recalls that 40% of the energy in Europe is consumed in buildings and that renovation rates are low, stresses that all existing legislation in this regard must be implemented fully and speedily, and that all forms of EU funding schemes must be easily understandable and accessible;
Amendment 813 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 33
Paragraph 33
Amendment 828 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 33 a (new)
Paragraph 33 a (new)
33a. Calls on the Commission to closely monitor the implementation of the Energy Efficiency Directive - especially the National Energy Efficiency Plans (NEEAPs) and National Renovation Strategies - and the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive ; calls on the Commission to carry out a revision of the Energy Efficiency and Energy Performance of Buildings Directives in order to achieve the EU 2030 energy efficiency improvement target, putting a stronger emphasis on helping vulnerable consumers and tackling energy poverty; believes that in the context of this enforcement measurement and verification of energy efficiency improvements should be done on a regular basis; in this regards, measures for retro fitting of existing buildings should prioritize the most vulnerable consumers in low quality accommodation or social housing; conditions to target European funds for energy efficiency on vulnerable consumers should be put in place; criteria for a certain percentage of energy obligation schemes to target low income consumers should be set;
Amendment 851 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 34 a (new)
Paragraph 34 a (new)
34a. Considers that investment to moderate energy demand, especially in buildings and industry, is a significant contribution to energy security, while stimulating economic growth and job creation at the same time, and that this should be taken into account when developing integrated economic instruments, building regulations and considering financial allocations; Stresses that increased EU financial support should be made available to support the Member States in achieving these energy efficiency goals and objectives;
Amendment 852 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 34 a (new)
Paragraph 34 a (new)
34a. Notes the importance of integrating the planning of energy demand and supply at the level of the EU internal energy market, with priority given to demand reduction and decentralised solutions, in order to achieve cost-optimal security of supply and avoid unnecessary or over-dimensioned infrastructure investments and stranded costs;
Amendment 855 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 34 a (new)
Paragraph 34 a (new)
34a. Considers that the different range of European funds which finance energy efficiency improvements should be better orientated and reprioritised towards making improvements among vulnerable, low-income consumers and tackling the issue of split incentives between the owner and tenant of a building or among owners;
Amendment 889 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 36 a (new)
Paragraph 36 a (new)
36a. Believes that the development of renewable energy sources is central to the Energy Union, taking into consideration energy costs; stresses the importance of developing cross-border infrastructure and of enhancing research and innovation in developing smarter energy grids and new energy storage solutions as well as flexible generation technologies for the integration of renewables;
Amendment 891 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 36 a (new)
Paragraph 36 a (new)
36a. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to encourage self- consumption and micro-generation through renewable energy schemes targeted at the most vulnerable consumers;
Amendment 939 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 38 a (new)
Paragraph 38 a (new)
38a. Stresses that the commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emission must not undermine the EU economy's global competitiveness, particularly in the energy intensive sector and in other sectors and subsectors deemed to be exposed to a significant risk of carbon leakage; stresses the need for compensation mechanisms and EU-harmonized measures different from the current state aid guidelines so as to offset, in all Member States, carbon costs passed through in the electricity bill, therefore securing a full level playing field; calls on the European Commission to put in place the appropriate tools to support energy efficiency in the high energy intensive sector deemed to be exposed to the risk of carbon leakage; considers, however, that the impact of the differentiated electricity prices due to the carbon footprint of the suppliers' energy mix is a legitimate competitive factor pertaining to each Member State's domestic choices;
Amendment 1020 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 43
Paragraph 43
Amendment 1035 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 43 a (new)
Paragraph 43 a (new)
43a. Emphasises that energy must be made affordable to all citizens of the EU; considers that avoiding unnecessary consumption by undertaking efficiency improvements, stronger interconnections, higher market integration and sustainable energy investment, particularly in buildings, would enable many households to access on equal conditions a single, sustainable, competitive and secure energy market and escape energy poverty, which in 2012 affected one in four EU citizens; invites the Commission to present a communication on energy poverty in Europe, accompanied by an action plan to fight against it, which contains a definition and indicators of energy poverty;
Amendment 1049 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 43 c (new)
Paragraph 43 c (new)
43a. Considers that the Energy Union should bring about multiple cost-savings and that in an increasingly highly energy- efficient economy with reduced consumption levels for industry and consumers, the focus should be on reducing the total energy costs paid by consumers and not on the unit price of wholesale or retail energy; Calls on the Commission to launch a study analysing new and cost-effective market designs that ensure reasonably priced electricity for consumers and industry while preventing carbon leakage;
Amendment 1055 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 43 b (new)
Paragraph 43 b (new)
43b. Stresses that effective use of research and technological innovations fosters the leadership of European industry and strengthens the competitive advantage and commercial viability of European business and industry, creates jobs while contributing to the main EU energy and climate policy goals, including reduction of energy demand, security of supply, competitiveness and sustainable development of energy production, distribution, transportation and consumption, combatting energy poverty and the EU targets regarding GHG emissions, renewable energy resources and energy efficiency;
Amendment 1070 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 44
Paragraph 44
44. Calls on the Commission to intensify its research efforts as regarding the better use of Europe's indigenous resources, both conventional and unconventionals efficient, low-emission technologies in order to meet its 2030 and longer/term objectives and improve its energy security and facilitate economic recovery; expects the mid/term review of the Horizon 2020 research programme to reflect these priorities;
Amendment 1099 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 46 a (new)
Paragraph 46 a (new)
46a. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to increase IT security and the protection of critical energy infrastructures which provide crucial services for consumers, particularly with regard to the development of industrial production and the increasing role of ICT in the energy sector; stresses in this respect the importance of the adoption and timely implementation of the Network and Information Security Directive to maintain high levels of network and information security of critical infrastructures.
Amendment 1100 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 46 a (new)
Paragraph 46 a (new)
46a. Calls on the Member States and the Commission to seek for better interaction and coordination of national and European research programmes, especially in the fields of energy, transport, ICT and construction, in order to ensure that priority is given to common challenges such as increasing energy efficiency by not focusing only on the heating sector but also cooling, promoting small-scale renewable energies, reducing greenhouse gas emissions as well as increasing energy security and developing new renewable energy sources, and to maximize the market uptake of new technologies;
Amendment 1101 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 46 a (new)
Paragraph 46 a (new)
46a. Believes that the further development of an energy internal market is intrinsically linked to the Digital Single Market; Calls on the European Commission to promote the connection between the Energy Union and the Digital Single Market through the maximization of consumer access to energy services using digital platforms and through the development of an energy internal market which is more competitive, transparent and integrated in the digital economy;
Amendment 1102 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 46 a (new)
Paragraph 46 a (new)
46a. Stresses the added value of integrating ICT in the energy system and calls on the Commission to introduce common standards for smart grids at the transmission system level since they ensure a stable supply and free flow of energy across borders and contribute to energy security, and at distribution system level to ensure security of supply for local communities, cities and regions; highlights in this regard the role that developing smarter energy grids and new energy storage facilities can play increasing the level of RES;
Amendment 1141 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 49 a (new)
Paragraph 49 a (new)
49a. Calls on the Commission to promote a stable and transparent governance framework for the Energy Union that would ensure the 2030 objectives are achieved, through the full implementation, enforcement and strengthening of existing legislation such as the Energy Efficiency Directive, the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive, the Renewable Energy Directive and the reform of the EU ETS;
Amendment 1143 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 49 a (new)
Paragraph 49 a (new)
49a. Agrees with the European Council that a reliable, democratic and transparent governance system avoiding additional red tape and unnecessary bureaucracy should be developed and proposed in 2015 to help ensure that the EU meets its energy policy goals, with the necessary flexibility for Member States and on a basis of full respect for their freedom to determine their energy mix; Stresses that European Parliament shall play a strong and proactive role with regards to the development, implementation and review of the Energy Union governance systems;