Second strategic energy review

2008/2239(INI)

The Committee on Industry, Research and Energy adopted the report by Anne LAPPERROUZE (ALDE, FR) on the Second Strategic Energy Review, noting that any European energy policy must pursue the following objectives: security of supply and solidarity among Member States, tackling climate change including a strong commitment to and implementation of the Union's own targets, and competitiveness.

MEPs call on Member States to regard this strategic energy review as a basis for implementing an energy policy for Europe and setting an ambitious action plan for 2010‑2012.

In this context, they call on the Commission and Member States to: (i) become the most energy-efficient economy in order to actively contribute to the achievement of the 2°C climate objective; (ii) reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 60 to 80% by 2050; (ii) adopt as objectives a 35% improvement in energy efficiency and a 60% share of renewable energy. As for the Commission, it is called upon to: (i) draw up possible energy scenarios, in consultation with all the stakeholders, illustrating ways in which these objectives may be reached and setting out the underlying technical and economic hypotheses; (ii) support all planned investments in new import energy infrastructure and renewable energy technologies.

MEPs stress that saving energy is "the most effective and cost-efficient way of improving energy security", and therefore call on the Commission and Member States immediately to adopt a legally binding energy efficiency improvement target of at least 20% by 2020. The two other "2020" targets - reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 20% and increasing the share of renewable energy to 20% - are already fixed by the EU's climate change legislation.

National and EU emergency action plans: MEPs call on the Commission to propose revising the 2004 Security of gas supply directive before the end of this year. The committee wants this revision to include "mandatory and effective national and EU emergency action plans" providing for:

  • a common declaration of an emergency situation;
  •  the allocation of available supplies and infrastructure capacity among the affected countries;
  • co-ordinated dispatching; and
  • the activation of emergency measures in unaffected or less affected states in order to increase the amount of gas available to the affected markets.

MEPs also stress that the EU should develop gas storage with fast-release capacity and that a single European gas grid should be established linking up all EU Member States. According to the report, "gas and electricity interconnections through Central and South-eastern Europe along a north-south axis" should be developed and especially the Baltic Sea region needed to be integrated into the Western European network.

New partnership agreement needed with Russia: MEPs stress that, even with the help of ambitious energy saving plans, the EU is likely to still be dependent on third countries for supplies of fossil energy in the medium term. The report point out that EU currently imports 50% of the energy it consumes - a proportion which could rise to 70% by 2030.

MEPs support the intention to negotiate a wide-ranging new agreement replacing the 1997 Partnership and Cooperation Agreement with Russia, which supplies 42% of the Union's imported gas, as well as 100% of the gas imported by Bulgaria, Slovakia, Finland and the Baltic States, over 30% of crude oil imports to the Union and 15% of distillate product demand in the Union.

More pipelines and liquefied natural gas terminals: the committee also supports projects to diversify supply routes, such as the Nabucco, Turkey-Greece-Italy (TGI), and South Stream pipelines. It considers it of great importance that in the longer term, when political conditions permit, supplies from other countries in the region, such as Uzbekistan and Iran, should represent a further significant source of supply for the European Union.

Moreover, MEPs stress that sufficient liquefied natural gas (LNG) capacity consisting of liquefaction facilities in the producing countries and LNG terminals and ship-based regasification in the EU should be available to all Member States, either directly or through other Member States on the basis of a solidarity mechanism.

Nuclear power: MEPs support the Commission's analysis that it is important to maintain the contribution of nuclear energy in the energy mix, and to that end to promote without delay the establishment of a harmonised regulatory and economic framework facilitating the necessary investment decisions. In this context, they call on the Commission to draw up a specific road map for nuclear investments.

Lastly, MEPs stress that nuclear energy is to be used "at the highest technologically possible level of safety", adding that the EU's neighbouring countries, too, should adopt European nuclear safety standards every time a new nuclear plant is planned or an old one is upgraded. In this context, they call on the Commission and the Council to develop models and procedures jointly with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to prevent the peaceful use of nuclear energy leading to the proliferation of nuclear weapons.