New rules on security of gas supply

On 16 February 2016 the European Commission proposed a new regulation on security of gas supply as part of its sustainable energy security package, in order to develop a stronger collective response to future supply risks. The Commission proposal would replace an existing regulation on the subject, in force since December 2010. The Commission proposal seeks to improve rather than overhaul the existing regulation, and keeps many of its key features intact. Major innovations include a solidarity principle that prioritises households and essential social services during an emergency situation; mandatory regional preventive action and emergency plans based on new templates; fewer exemptions on bidirectional capacity in order to facilitate reverse gas flows; an increase in the scope of contractual information relating to security of supply that is provided to the Commission; and involving the contracting parties of the Energy Community further in security of gas supply measures. On 13 October 2016 the ITRE Committee approved a report on the proposed regulation, forming the basis for future trilogue negotiations with the Council and Commission. This updates an earlier edition, of April 2016: PE 580.912. A more recent edition of this document is available. Find it by searching by the document title at this address: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/thinktank/en/home.html