26 Amendments of Eugen FREUND related to 2016/0030(COD)
Amendment 128 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 1
Recital 1
(1) Natural gas (gas) remainis an essential component of the energy supply of the Union. A large proportion of such gas is imported into the Union from third countrThis makes security of gas supply a key element of the Union's overall energy security, with relevance to the Union's competitiveness and growth. Even though more than 50 % of gas consumption in the Union and the rest of the European Economic Area is currently covered by domestic production, a growing proportion of gas is imported from third countries. Enhancing the Union's energy security and making its gas market more resilient thus requires creating a stable, market-based regulatory framework for developing gas production from domestic sources. Furthermore, increasing energy efficiency as well as the use of renewable energy sources reduces the Union's reliance on gas imports, thereby also addressing dependence on dominant external suppliers.
Amendment 147 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 3
Recital 3
(3) This Regulation aims to ensure that all the necessary 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 objectiveis should be achieved through the most cost- effective measures and in such, in a way that energy markets are not distorted, in accordance with Article 194 of the Treaty on European Union (TEU) and with the goals of the Energy Union to deliver secure, affordable and climate-friendly energy.
Amendment 148 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 3 a (new)
Recital 3 a (new)
(3a) The Commission's Communication on Energy Efficiency (COM(2014)520), highlighted that energy efficiency has a fundamental role to play in the transition towards a more competitive, secure and sustainable energy system with an internal energy market at its core. Saving energy and reducing gas consumption should therefore be a priority to secure gas supply and improve Europe's energy independence. Member States should give energy efficiency primary consideration to decrease the use of gas, particularly in the construction and renovation of buildings as gas accounts for around half of the EU principal energy consumption for heating and cooling.
Amendment 153 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 5 a (new)
Recital 5 a (new)
(5a) The Commission's Communication of the 2050 Energy Roadmap highlights that fossil fuels such as gas will need to be phased out by 2050. New gas infrastructure should therefore only be prioritised in case of utmost necessity and should always respond to a real gas demand, in order to avoid the creation of a new carbon lock-in and of possible stranded assets.
Amendment 162 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 6 a (new)
Recital 6 a (new)
(6a) Energy efficiency first is a central principle of the Energy Union strategy. It is the most effective way to cut emissions, bring savings to consumers, protect the most vulnerable, and reduce the EU's fossil fuel import dependency. First and foremost, security of supply means minimising the Union's gas dependency by becoming more energy efficient. For every 1% improvement in energy efficiency, EU gas imports fall by 2.6%. Policies and measures to reduce gas consumption by improving energy efficiency, particularly in buildings, should therefore be included in preventive action plans.
Amendment 176 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 8
Recital 8
(8) So far, the potential forof regional cooperation to introduce more efficient and less costly measures through regional cooperation has not been fully exploited. This has to do not only withapplies to better coordination of national mitigation actions in emergency situations, but also of as well as to national preventive measures, such as improved energy efficiency, national storage or policies related to liquefied natural gas (LNG), which can be strategically important in certain regions.
Amendment 182 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 9
Recital 9
(9) In a spirit of solidarity, regional cooperation, which involvinges both public authorities and natural gas undertakings, should be is the guiding principle of this Regulation, towith the aim of identifying the relevant risks in each region and, optimiseing the benefits of coordinated measures to mitigate them and to imp, whilem ent the most cost-effective measures for Union consumersuring that the measures are cost-effective for customers and ensuring affordable energy prices for citizens. This could be facilitated by providing in-depth analysis at Union level on the relevant Emergency Supply Corridors, based on gas supply sources common for a group of Member States.
Amendment 197 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 11 a (new)
Recital 11 a (new)
(11a) Responsibility for the development of sustainable, affordable and secure energy and in particular for the delivery of the EU's climate and energy objectives is shared by Member States and the Commission.
Amendment 225 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 19
Recital 19
(19) For the purpose of this Regulation, the following criteria should therefore be taken into account when definestablishing the regional groups: supply patterns, supply and energy demand patterns, existing and planned interconnections and interconnection capacity between Member States for both electricity and gas, market development and maturity, existing regional cooperation structures, the level of diversification of gas routes sources of gas supply, and the number of Member States in a region, which should be limited to ensure that the group remains of a manageable size.
Amendment 260 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 24
Recital 24
(24) The roles and responsibilities of all natural gas undertakings and competent authorities, as well as, where appropriate electricity undertakings, should therefore be defined precisely in order to keep the internal gas market functioning properly, particularly in the event of supply disruptions and crises. Such roles and responsibilities should be established in such a way as to ensure that a three-level approach is respected which would involve first the relevant natural gas and electricity undertakings and industry, then Member States at national or regional level, and then the Union. This Regulation should, including when appropriate, building regulatory authorities, and then the Union. To that end, effective information-sharing across all levels should provide early warning with regard to disruption and the means of mitigation. This Regulation is intended to enable natural gas and electricity undertakings and customers to rely on market mechanisms for as long as possible when coping with disruptions. However, it should alsis also intended to provide for mechanisms that can be deployed when markets alone are no longer able to deal adequately with a gas supply disruption.
Amendment 273 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 28
Recital 28
(28) Demand-side measures, such as encouraging the use of renewable energy sources, reducing heating and cooling demand in buildings by coordinated energy efficiency and demand response measures, fuel switching or reducing the gas supply to large industrial consumers in an economically efficient ordmanner, 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. Much more should be done to promote efficient energy use, particularly where demand-side measures are needed. 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 and the climate. At the same time, security of gas supply andshould remain a priority for measures undertaken in the case of disruption to supply, while competitiveness aspects must beshould also be properly taken into account.
Amendment 278 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 32
Recital 32
(32) The preventive action plans and emergency plans should be updated on a regularly basis and published. They should be subject to peer review which should be monitored by the Commission. The peer review process is intended to allows for early identification of inconsistencies and measures that could endanger the security of gas supply of other Member States', security of supplyuch as poor energy efficiency performance, thereby ensuring thatconsistency of the plans fromacross different regions are consistent with one another. It also enables Member States to share best practice. The plans should be coherent with the Union's climate and energy targets.
Amendment 319 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 41
Recital 41
(41) One of the Union goals is to strengthen the Energy Community that wouldin order to ensure effective implementation of the Union energy acquis, energy market reforms and incentivising investments in the energy sector, including renewable energy and demand side measures enhancing energy efficiency, by closer integration of the Union and Energy Community energy markets. This also entails also introducing common crisis management by proposing preventive action plans and emergency plans at the regional level including the Energy Community Contracting Parties. Furthermore, the Commission Communication of 16 October 2014 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 Energy Community 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 346 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 1 – subparagraph 1 a (new)
Article 1 – subparagraph 1 a (new)
This Regulation also encourages preventive measures reducing gas demand, for example through measures enhancing energy efficiency and increasing the share of renewable energy, in order to decrease the Union's dependency on gas imports.
Amendment 365 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 2 – subparagraph 2 – point 1 – point b
Article 2 – subparagraph 2 – point 1 – point b
(b) a district heating installation to the extent that itgas-fired plant, in particular combined heat and power plant, that fulfils a central function in supplying district heating and delivers heating to household customers or to the enterprises or services referred to in point (a) provided that such installation is not able to switch to other fuels and is connected to a gas distribution or transmission network;
Amendment 387 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 3 – paragraph 6
Article 3 – paragraph 6
6. The measures to ensure the security of gas supply contained in the preventive action plans and in the emergency plans shall be clearly defined, transparent, proportionate, non-discriminatory and verifiable, verifiable, sustainable and compatible with the EU's climate and energy objectives, shall consider energy efficiency and renewable energy sources as a priority solution to improve the EU's energy security, 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, regions ofr the Union as a whole.
Amendment 444 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 5 – paragraph 1 – subparagraph 4
Article 5 – paragraph 1 – subparagraph 4
Member States may comply with the obligation laid down in the first subparagraph of this paragraph by reducing the demand for gas through the implementation of energy efficiency measures or by replacing the gas with a different source of energy, in particular renewable energy, to the extent that the same level of protection is achieved.
Amendment 480 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 6 – paragraph 1 – point b
Article 6 – paragraph 1 – point b
(b) taking into account all relevant national and regional circumstances, in particular market size, network configurationthe potential for gas demand reduction through energy efficiency measures and the deployment of renewable energy sources, network configuration, gas consumption trends, the utilisation rate of existing infrastructure, actual flows, including outflows from the Member States concerned, the possibility of physical gas flows in both directions including the potential need for consequent reinforcement of the transmission system, the presence of production and storage and the role of gas in the energy mixes, in particular with respect to district heating and electricity generation and for the operation of industries, and safety and gas quality considerations;
Amendment 524 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 7 – paragraph 1 – point a
Article 7 – paragraph 1 – point a
(a) a preventive action plan containing the measures, including energy efficiency and demand side measures, for example reduction of gas demand through the renovation and construction of buildings, to be adopted to remove or mitigate the risks identified in the region, including risks of purely national dimension, in accordance with the risk assessment undertaken pursuant to Article 6 and in accordance with Article 8; and
Amendment 563 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 7 – paragraph 5 – subparagraph 2 – point e
Article 7 – paragraph 5 – subparagraph 2 – point e
(e) endangers the security of gas supply of other Member States or of the Union as a whole, notably through poor energy efficiency.
Amendment 601 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 8 – paragraph 1 – point k a (new)
Article 8 – paragraph 1 – point k a (new)
(ka) Information on alternative sources of energy to ensure security of supply, in particular renewable energy sources and energy efficiency measures.
Amendment 605 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 8 – paragraph 3 a (new)
Article 8 – paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. The preventive action plan shall only encourage the construction of new gas infrastructure in case of utmost necessity and after other alternatives via renewable energy sources and energy efficiency measures have been duly assessed.
Amendment 681 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 12 – paragraph 2 – subparagraph 1
Article 12 – paragraph 2 – subparagraph 1
Amendment 711 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 12 – paragraph 6
Article 12 – paragraph 6
(6) If the Member States do not agree on the necessary technical, legal and financial arrangements, the Commission may propose a framework for such measures in its opinion and decision on the plans by taking special care to ensure that uniform supply standards are actually respected and that supply shortages of the Member States concerned are resolved as soon as possible. Within the framework of the financial arrangement governing Member States,the Commission could also make proposals for burden-sharing mechanisms so that adverse economic consequences are not borne solely by the neighbouring countries concerned.
Amendment 834 #
Proposal for a regulation
Annex IV – point 1 – point 1.1 – point f a (new)
Annex IV – point 1 – point 1.1 – point f a (new)
(fa) Describe the role of additional energy efficiency measures and their effect on annual final gas consumption.
Amendment 868 #
Proposal for a regulation
Annex V – point 5 – point b
Annex V – point 5 – point b
(b) Describe other measures, including energy efficiency measures, adopted for reasons other than the risk assessment but with a positive impact for the security of supply of the region/Member State