Activities of Niki TZAVELA related to 2012/2103(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Recital A b (new)

Ab. Whereas the competitiveness of the European industry needs to be taken into account, by means of adequate policies and instruments and by adapting to a process that would re-industrialise our economy;

2012/10/01
Committee: ITRE

Motion for a resolution
Recital A c (new)

Ac. Whereas it is in the interests of Member States to reduce their dependency of energy imports with volatile prices, and to diversify energy supplies;

2012/10/01
Committee: ITRE

Motion for a resolution
Recital A d (new)

Ad. Whereas the challenge of energy security is to alleviate uncertainties that give rise to tensions between states and to reduce market inefficiencies that hamper the benefits of trade, both for suppliers and consumers;

2012/10/01
Committee: ITRE

Motion for a resolution
Recital A e (new)

Ae. Whereas it is important to obtain an early indication of whether the challenging goals of the Roadmap can be achieved and to review the impact on the EU's economy including global competitiveness, employment and social security;

2012/10/01
Committee: ITRE

Motion for a resolution
Recital A f (new)

Af. Whereas Member States, energy companies and the general public need to have a clear view of the direction of the EU's energy policy, which must be backed by more certainty, including milestones and targets for 2030, with a view to incentivising and reducing the risk of long-term investments;

2012/10/01
Committee: ITRE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3

3. Highlights the importance of the EU's energy policy amidst the financial crisis; emphasises the role that energy could potentially play in spurring growth and competitiveness in the EU; calls on the Commission to propose post-2020 strategies and to present a 2030 policy framework for European energy policy, thus providing a reliable guide for investment decisions; encourages the Member States to step up their ongoing efforts to reach the current 2020 targets in the area of EU energy policy;

2012/10/01
Committee: ITRE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 – a (new)

3a. Notes that in order to make an informed and balanced decision regarding post 2020 strategies, a review of the existing 2020 strategies will be necessary;

2012/10/01
Committee: ITRE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4

4. Stresses that a clear, stable and predictable policy and regulatory framework will stimulate the necessary investments for low-carbon energy investments; Underlines the importance of an energy strategy focused on increasing the EU's energy security and economic competitiveness through measures such as the diversification of supply routes and sources, distributors and energy efficiency;

2012/10/01
Committee: ITRE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8

8. Recognises that a higher share of renewable energy beyond 2020 is a key aspect of a more sustainable energy system while stressing that renewables alone cannot pave the way to decarbonisation and must be combined with alternative sources of energy; recognises, furthermore, that all of the decarbonisation scenarios explored in the Commission communication assume an increased share of renewable energy in the EU energy mix of around 30% in gross final energy consumption in 2030;

2012/10/01
Committee: ITRE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)

9a. Accordingly urges on more energy efficiency actions that would address the problem of energy poverty which is mainly focused on heat in the EUs societies. At the same time, calls for analysis and revision of national legislation that is an obstacle to energy efficiency investments/optimisation of heat production and use in some Member States (taxation, public procurement, heat pricing etc.);

2012/10/01
Committee: ITRE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)

10a. Stresses the need for immediate actions to ensure the continuity of energy supply, increase investor certainty and minimise bottlenecks; Delays not only will increase costs but will also delay the development of the necessary technologies;

2012/10/01
Committee: ITRE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)

11a. Recalls the role of projects such as Desertec and the use of renewable energy sources in neighbouring regions; Highlights the prospect of 'Project Helios' in transporting electricity produced by renewable energy from South East Europe to Central Europe as well as further expansion of wind energy in the North Sea and other regions; Emphasises that the opportunity to import electricity produced from renewable sources from neighbouring regions needs to be complemented by encouraging and facilitating the development of renewable and low-emission sources of energy, e.g. in the Southern Mediterranean and in the North Sea region, and more interconnections within European networks;

2012/10/01
Committee: ITRE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 b (new)

11b. Notes that some renewable energy sources, such as geothermal, can provide heat and power locally and continuously; is of the view that those local sources of energy increase energy independence, notably for isolated communities; underlines, therefore, the importance of supporting their development through R&D and innovative financial instruments;

2012/10/01
Committee: ITRE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12

12. Stresses that, as Member States pursue the goal of energy security and energy independence, emphasis needs to be shifted towards a model of energy interdependence by ensuring the swift completion of the EU internal energy market and the EU supergrid infrastructure linking North and South, and East and West; highlights the importance of ensuring that policy and regulatory developments in Member States will eliminate remaining infrastructure ‘bottlenecks’ and will not create new barriers to electricity and gas or energy market integration; stresses, moreover, that energy policy decisions in each national system need to take account of how such decisions could affect other Member States;

2012/10/01
Committee: ITRE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)

13a. Highlights the need to increase the incentives of investors in the energy market by increasing profitability and easing - without relaxing - the bureaucratic procedures;

2012/10/01
Committee: ITRE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 b (new)

13b. Emphasises the need to protect consumers from high energy prices and protect businesses from unfair competition as well as artificially low prices from companies outside the EU in accordance with the urges made in the Rio+20 summit regarding the enforced role of the WTO;

2012/10/01
Committee: ITRE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 a (new)

19a. Acknowledges that conventional fossil fuels are likely to remain part of the energy system at least during the transition to a low-carbon energy system;

2012/10/01
Committee: ITRE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20

20. Recognises the key role of gas, both in the transition to a low-carbon energy system and as a flexible back-up, and in balancing capacity where renewable energy supplies are variable; Acknowledges that conventional fossil fuels are likely to remain part of the energy system at least during the transition to a low-carbon energy system;

2012/10/01
Committee: ITRE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 a (new)

22a. Underlines the importance of policy intervention, public funding and an appropriate carbon price to demonstrate and ensure the early deployment of CCS technology in Europe from 2020; underlines the importance of the EU demonstration programme to build public acceptance and support for CCS as an important technology to reduce GHG emissions;

2012/10/01
Committee: ITRE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 b (new)

22b. Calls on the Commission to enable and promote knowledge sharing and collaboration within the EU and internationally to ensure the best engineering value is captured at scale in CCS demonstration projects; calls on the Commission to support early investment in pipeline infrastructure and to coordinate cross-border planning to ensure access to CO2 sinks from 2020, and to undertake research to characterise storage reservoirs in Europe; calls on the Commission to actively work with Member States and industry to communicate on benefits and safety of CCS in order to build public confidence in the technology;

2012/10/01
Committee: ITRE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23

23. Notes that optimal, safe and sustainable use of domestic energy resources, and the competitiveness of infrastructure necessary for the stable supply of domestic or imported energy, including refining, can contribute to increased energy security; Highlights as well the finding of the Energy Roadmap that oil is likely to remain in the energy mix even in 2050 and will mainly fuel parts of long distance passenger and freight transport;

2012/10/01
Committee: ITRE

Niki TZAVELA, Herbert REUL

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24

24. While recognising that the EU operates in a global context and acting alone may not bring all the expected benefits, recalls the November 2011 TTE Council Conclusions on strengthening the external dimension of the EU energy policy, the need for a broader and more coordinated EU approach to international energy relations in order to meet global energy challenges and climate change, address competitiveness and carbon leakage related issues and maintain and promote the highest nuclear safety standards, while at the same time ensuring the safe, secure and diversified supply of energy;

2012/10/01
Committee: ITRE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28 a (new)

28a. Stresses that there will be no compromise on safety and security of either traditional (e.g. nuclear) or new energy sources (e.g. unconventional oil and gas) and believes that the EU should continue efforts to strengthen the safety and security framework and take a lead on international efforts in this field;

2012/10/01
Committee: ITRE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28 b (new)

28b. Emphasises that as Member States set about connecting and integrating their national markets through investment in infrastructure and the approval of common regulations, continuous efforts should also be made into collaborating with Russia in order to identify creative and mutually acceptable measures aimed at reducing discrepancies between the two energy markets;

2012/10/01
Committee: ITRE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29

29. Recognises that the ETS is the principal – though not the only – instrument for reducing industrial emissions and promoting investment in low carbon technologies; notes that further improvement of the ETS is necessary in order to strengthen substantially market- based incentives for investment in and the use of low-carbon technologies; notes that any changes to the ETS would require a careful assessment of the impact on electricity prices and on the competitiveness of energy-intensive industries; calls on the Commission and the Member States to facilitate the development of innovative technological solutions by European industries;

2012/10/01
Committee: ITRE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29 a (new)

29α. Calls on the Commission to adopt a single uniform policy regarding EU industries jeopardised by the cost of indirect CO2 emissions and prevent any widening of the disparities between sensitive energy sectors operating within sound economies and those operating in Member States which are experiencing the consequences of the debt crisis;

2012/10/01
Committee: ITRE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32

32. Believes that, while energy bills in Europe have risen in recent years, this development has given rise to a ‘smart’, common sense-based approach to energy efficiency and energy savings; believes, regardless, that the role of ICT technologies is increasingly important for energy; highlights, in this context, the role of smart meters in providing consumers with data on energy consumption in households and businesses; underlines that consumers shall become active stakeholders in energy efficiency by having a visibility on their energy consumption, and by effectively monitoring and controlling it;

2012/10/01
Committee: ITRE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32 a (new)

32a. Believes that energy infrastructure should become more end-user orientated, with a stronger focus on the interaction between distribution system capacities and consumption, and emphasises the need for real-time, two-directional power and information flows; points out the benefits for consumers of new technologies, such as demand-side energy management and demand-response systems, that improve energy efficiency of supply and demand;

2012/10/01
Committee: ITRE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 34

34. Stresses the importance of further research and development by the industry into the use of natural gas in the road, maritime and aviation sectors;

2012/10/01
Committee: ITRE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 35 a (new)

35a. Calls upon the Commission to gather the required data related to heat and heating as well as cooling, which are urgently needed to have a clear picture of the current situation - and, further, to build relevant scenarios for the future. The data should reflect sources and uses of heating and cooling, their energy-mix and the distribution of heating towards different final consumers (residential, industry, tertiary), with the share produced/distributed by District Heating;

2012/10/01
Committee: ITRE