The European Parliament adopted by 572 votes to 89, with 18 abstentions, a legislative resolution on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council concerning the notification to the Commission of investment projects in energy infrastructure within the European Union and replacing Council Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 617/2010.
Parliament adopted its position at first reading following the ordinary legislative procedure. The amendments adopted in plenary are the result of an agreement reached between the European Parliament and the Council. They amended the proposal as follows:
Political purpose: Parliament stated that obtaining an overall picture of the development of investment in energy infrastructure in the Union is essential for the development of the Union's energy policy and for the Commission to perform its tasks in the field of energy.
Data and information on projects: the Regulation proposes to establish a common framework for the notification to the Commission of data and information:
- on investment projects in energy infrastructure in the sectors of oil, natural gas, electricity - including electricity from renewable sources, electricity from coal and lignite, and cogeneration of electricity and useful heat;
- on investment projects related to bio-fuel production and the capture , transport and storage of carbon dioxide produced by those sectors
Content of the notification: Parliament clarified that Member States should be required to include the following information in the notification: relevant information concerning delays and/or obstacles to the implementation of an investment project, where Member States, their delegated entities or the specific body concerned possess that information.
Confidentiality: the Commission should ensure that the IT resources needed to receive, store and carry out any processing of the data or information on energy infrastructure guarantee the confidentiality of the data or information which is notified to it pursuant to this Regulation.
Monitoring and reporting: it is stated that the cross-sector analysis of the structural evolution and perspectives of the Union's energy system should aim in particular at identifying potential future gaps between the demand and supply of energy that are of significance for the Union's energy policy, including for the functioning of the internal energy market. The analysis should put an emphasis on potential future deficiencies and flaws in the production and transmission infrastructure.
Review: in the framework of the reviews, the Commission should, inter alia, examine, by 31 December 2016: (a) the possible extension of the scope of this Regulation to include the extraction of gas, oil and coal; terminals for compressed natural gas and additional types of electricity storage; and (b) the question as to whether or not thresholds for renewable energy installations should be lowered.