Activities of Judith A. MERKIES related to 2013/2005(INI)
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT on making the internal energy market work PDF (252 KB) DOC (155 KB)
Amendments (24)
Amendment 221 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Notes with concern indications that certainthat national action iss are again being taken to influence energy markets, especially as regards efforts to secure the supply of electricity, with Member States implementing national capacity- remuneration mechanisms without fulduly exploring theall potential of cross-border solualternative solutions, in particular in terms of flexibility resources – such as demand side management, storage and physical interconnections –, thus interfering with and distorting market design, as well as potentially creating lock-in effects;
Amendment 249 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Recognises that, without prejudice either to the Member States' right to choose their energy mix or to the need for better EU-wide coordination, the EU as a whole must make full use of the potential of all renewable energy sources that are at the disposal of EU Member States;
Amendment 264 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Stresses that harmonisation of renewable- and efficiency-related incentives and of auxiliary energy costs across all Member States – or at leasnational subsidies and other incentives are important for the large-scale uptake of renewables in national energy markets; notes that a wide variety of different schemes for promoting renewable energy sources (RES) currently coexist within the European Union, due to disparities between national market features, different potentials and different stages of technology patterns and maturity; notes that greater compatibility in this regard – is essentialmight be an important aspect for a well-functioning internal energy market, at both the wholesale and retail level, and for creating favourable conditions for the long-term development of the low-emission energy sector;
Amendment 291 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Calls on the Member States to fully transpose fullyand implement all relevant EU legislation in the field of energy policy, particularly the third energy package as a matter of urgency; urges the Commission to undertake action against those Member States where implementation has been unduly delayed;
Amendment 301 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 a (new)
Paragraph 20 a (new)
20a. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to jointly assess investments needed to decarbonise the energy sector and develop an EU strategy that prioritises energy efficiency, cost- effective integration of renewables, and markets integration;
Amendment 306 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Urges the Commission and the Member States to coordinate infrastructure projects in a better way, thereby ensuring full EU- wide system connectivity and cost- effectiveness; encourages, to that end, the Commission and the Member States to ensure rapid assessment, selection and implementation of projects of common European interest, especially with regard to electricity and gas trans-border interconnectors, liquefied natural gas and storage infrastructure and smart transmission and distribution networks, which are vital for a well-integrated and well-functioning energy market;
Amendment 315 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 a (new)
Paragraph 21 a (new)
21a. Urges the European Commission and the Member states to put in place an efficient congestion management system in order to foster the efficient use of existing gas and electricity transmission capacity, reducing the cost of expanding network capabilities, and facilitate the increased connection of renewable generation sources to the electricity network;
Amendment 318 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 b (new)
Paragraph 21 b (new)
21b. Calls on the Commission to put in place cross-border and regionally integrated day ahead, intraday and balancing markets in order to help improve system flexibility and the large- scale integration of electricity from renewable energy sources and participation of demand response resources alongside generation;
Amendment 330 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23
Paragraph 23
23. Welcomes the Commission's determination to enforce anti-trust and state-aid rules ensuring that a level-playing field is established with equal conditions of access for all market players; Welcomes the announced Commission guidance on best practice and experience gained in renewable energy support schemes, while not forcing Member States to implement abrupt changes in support which destabilise the market and increase costs; notes that support mechanisms should adapt to increase levels of penetration and falling production costs;
Amendment 341 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24
Paragraph 24
24. Strongly supports the Commission's efforts to introduce harmonised network codes and rules accordingly to the plan and to ensure the stability and increased innovation-friendliness of the regulatory framework of the internal energy market;
Amendment 350 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26
Paragraph 26
26. Calls on the Commission to examine the system adequacy and flexibility of national generation capacities in the short and long term, taking into account all flexibility resources that could contribute to system adequacy before assessing generation adequacy, to develop an EU-wide strategy and to report on the impact of the applied national measures related to capacity assessment and development planning on the internal energy market, taking into account the cross-border aspects of this complementary market design policy; calls, in this regard, on further efforts to be put on the future uptake of energy storage technologies and demand-side responsiveness, all of which are additional sources of flexibility;
Amendment 358 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26 a (new)
Paragraph 26 a (new)
26a. Calls on the Commission and on ENTSO-E to develop a coherent and aligned methodology for generation adequacy in Europe, including the positive contribution of renewable energy sources and in particular variable renewables;
Amendment 359 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26 b (new)
Paragraph 26 b (new)
26b. Calls on the Commission to develop guidelines on how Member States should assess the needs for capacity remuneration mechanisms and the characteristics of such mechanisms, so as to minimise distortions to the internal energy market. In particular and among others, mechanisms should be reversible and conditional on the previous exhaustion of all flexibility capabilities.
Amendment 381 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29
Paragraph 29
29. Calls on the Commission, the Member States and the relevant stakeholders to improve the quality and availability of the information offered to consumers, to provide them with clear and transparent billing methods and to establish price comparison tools allowing them to make best-informed choices, as well as to set up easy-to-use mechanisms for disputes with supplierffective complaint handling procedures as independent dispute resolution mechanisms; welcomes the proposal of the Commission to establish an information platform on consumer rights;
Amendment 385 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 31
Paragraph 31
31. Calls on the Commission to encourage further cooperation between the energy and information and communications technology (ICT) sectors, and to review existing instruments fregulatory financingrameworks to encourage energy- related innovations, in order to benefit all the consumers and to facilitate the deployment of smart grids in a user- friendly way, secure and reliable way, taking into account the privacy of the consumer;
Amendment 389 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32
Paragraph 32
32. Urges the Member States, and regional and local authorities, to promote ICTinnovative technology solutions in smart grids, and to aim for a prosumer market, takleading into account the increasing need formore flexibility, energy efficiency/savings and demand-side participation;
Amendment 401 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 33
Paragraph 33
33. Looks forward to the Commission's guidelines to help set ambitious policy objectives with regard to vulnerable consumers, and will assist the Member States in better defining this category of consumers; calls on the Commission to review, in parallel, existing mechanisms and instruments for protecting such consumers in different vulnerable situations, with a view to propose measures aimed at a more coherent and comprehensive approach at EU-level; leaving it to Member States to choose the most suitable instruments for support;
Amendment 410 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 34
Paragraph 34
34. Calls on the Member States, the Commission and the relevant stakeholders to convert the necessary supporting schemes for all power generators into transparent, homogeneous and market- driven mechanisms in order to create a common market for requested support features – such as energy efficiency, prosumers, cogeneration, renewables and auxiliarygrid support services – in a way that ensures their compatibility;
Amendment 420 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 34 a (new)
Paragraph 34 a (new)
34a. Calls on the Commission, Member States and national regulatory authorities to revise the indicators used to measure the degree of competition in energy markets and include indicators such as the proportion of consumers on the cheapest tariffs, the ability of new companies to enter the market and the levels of customer service and innovation, all of which will help provide a real picture about the level of competition on the market;
Amendment 422 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 34 a (new)
Paragraph 34 a (new)
34a. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to terminate all subsidies and other types of support and state-aid to traditional fossil-based generation as they might prevent transparent price-setting and a level playing field among providers;
Amendment 425 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 35
Paragraph 35
35. Calls on the Commission to examine thoroughly the implications of integrating low-emission energy sources, especially renewables, into the energy grids with regard to financial support, system-wide technical requirements and adapting the current market design; underlines that the lack of coordinated approach towards those sources has until now prevented their integration within the European energy systemse fact that the current European energy system - which was created around the needs of centralised and conventional generation plants - needs to be adapted to the rapidly rising contribution of distributed generation from renewable energy;
Amendment 438 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 35 a (new)
Paragraph 35 a (new)
35a. Calls on the Commission to address microgeneration in future European energy legislation, particularly in the context of the EU's future 2030 climate and energy package; calls on the Commission and the Member States to ensure a proper regulatory framework to simulate local energy production and microgeneration;
Amendment 445 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 36 a (new)
Paragraph 36 a (new)
36a. Calls on national regulatory authorities to collaborate with consumer representative bodies to promote consumer engagement in the development of demand response, demand management and energy efficiency programmes, and in order to identify and address consumer expectations during the integration of the energy markets;
Amendment 458 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 37 a (new)
Paragraph 37 a (new)
37a. Urges the Commission to make available sufficient funding for the development of smart distribution grids, which are the most-cost effective way for the large-scale penetration of distributed generation from renewable energy sources while ensuring security of supply and realising energy saving potentials;