MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION
16.3.2006
pursuant to Rule 108(5) of the Rules of Procedure
by Claude Turmes, Rebecca Harms and Raül Romeva i Rueda
on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group
on the security of supply of energy in the European Union
B6‑0201/2006
European Parliament resolution on the security of supply of energy in the European Union
The European Parliament,
– having regard to Rule 108(5) of its Rules of Procedure,
A. whereas the Commission has published a Green Paper on a European Strategy for Sustainable, Competitive and Secure Energy (COM(2006) 105),
B. whereas there are three main objectives for EU energy policy: security of supply, competitiveness and protection of the environment,
C. whereas EU-25 import dependency for energy is 48% (2002) and is projected to rise to 71% by 2030 if no additional measure is taken,
D. whereas the constraints on energy policy worldwide are substantial, notably due to mid-term resource problems for oil and because some oil-exporting countries have unstable political situations, while the market for gas is becoming increasingly global, with some geopolitical tensions, and nuclear proliferation and waste problems are still not solved and there is a need to drastically reduce emissions which cause climate change, this probably being the biggest driver for structural changes in the energy and transport sector,
E. whereas final energy use in the EU-25 in 2004 was 41% in buildings, 31% for transport and 28% for industry,
F. whereas 77% of EU demand for oil, 51% of demand for gas and almost 100% for uranium and uranium products is met from imports,
G. whereas 59% of the oil consumed in Europe in 2004 is used by the transport sector, 17% in buildings, 16% in non-energy uses and 8% in industry; whereas in 2005 EU transport was 96% dependent on oil; whereas the Commission expects energy demand in the transport sector to grow by at least 30% by 2030, with an increase of up to 5% per year for air transport,
H. whereas 29% of the gas consumed in the EU-25 in 2004 was used for the production of electricity, with the remaining 71% used in non-electricity production (industry, housing, etc),
I. whereas demand for coal in the EU has been decreasing for many years,
J. whereas EU-25 gross electricity generation is 31% nuclear, 25% solid fuel (predominantly coal), 18% gas, 14% RES and 5% oil,
K. whereas only thirteen Member States generate nuclear electricity, some of which have a declared policy of phasing out nuclear power; whereas nuclear waste management and disposal, the safety of nuclear reactors, proliferation and terrorist threats remain major areas of concern,
L. whereas the EU has set targets for increasing the share of energy consumption from RES from 6% to 12% and to 22.1% for electricity and 5.75% for fuel by 2010; whereas these targets can be attained if all Member States adjust their policies accordingly,
M. whereas RES are mainly from indigenous sources and could be used in all sectors, i.e. electricity, heating and cooling and transport,
N. whereas, according to the last Eurobarometer on Energy, almost half of all EU citizens (48%) believe that their national government should focus on developing the use of solar power, followed by promoting advanced research for new energy technologies (41%) and developing the use of wind power (31%), whilst regulation to reduce dependence on oil (23%) and developing the use of nuclear power (12%) are less appreciated among respondents,
O. whereas in its Green Paper on energy efficiency the Commission has identified energy efficiency and energy conservation in all sectors as the single biggest solution to security of supply, competitiveness and environmental problems,
1. Thanks the Commission for the Green Paper on 'a European Strategy for Sustainable, Competitive and Secure Energy' and its attempt to establish a more coordinated way of defining energy policies in the EU;
2. Welcomes the idea of increasing efforts to speak with one voice on energy questions in international fora and in bilateral relations, building on the success of a coordinated response by the EU as witnessed during the Russian-Ukrainean gas dispute;
3. Recognises the importance of good political relations with the EU's major energy supply partner countries, supports the Commission initiative with Russia and calls for urgent ratification of the Energy Charter;
4. Stresses the importance of including in the new energy diplomacy of the EU a constructive dialogue with all major consumers of energy and notably emerging economies on energy efficiency and energy conservation with the aim of setting minimum efficiency standards, to be harmonised on a phased basis, for global goods like cars, appliances, consumer electronics and office equipment and to promote at global level the integration of the environment into transport and energy decisions;
5. Stresses the need to prepare properly the attempt by the EU to speak with one voice and highlights the importance of consulting closely with the European Parliament and major stakeholders when formulating a common policy on energy and foreign affairs;
6. Agrees with the Council that a shared view on a strategy for security of supply should respect Member States’ geographical, economic, regional, climatic and structural differences;
7. Notes that a new energy policy for Europe must be based on individual and differentiated strategies of the Member States to reduce their dependence on oil and gas and is therefore complementary to national strategies, coordinating rather than replacing national measures;
8. Notes the need to take concrete steps to diversify gas and oil supply as well as to explore all possible means of enhancing the European Union’s self-sufficiency in energy;
9. Urges the Commission, therefore, to propose at the earliest possible date concrete measures in its forthcoming Energy Efficiency Action Plan to help cut energy demand in Europe by 20% and to invest urgently and massively in a truly energy-efficient economy, making Europe the most energy-efficient economy in the world by 2020 and giving Europe the necessary credibility to help conclude strong international agreements on energy efficiency and energy conservation;
10. Considers the level of dependence upon oil, particularly imported oil, to be of great concern; recalls that this dependency is almost total in the transport sector and that this sector must therefore be tackled as a priority; considers it urgent, therefore, that the Commission should submit proposals for sustained, long-term improvements in energy efficiency and conservation in the transport sector in order to achieve (a) twice as fuel-efficient cars and vans, (b) use of clean renewable fuels, (c) incentives for a continuation of the transition to second-generation biofuels, (d) a transfer of traffic from road and air to rail and water, (e) more rail electrification, and (f) more public transport;
11. Notes that the building sector, which accounts for over 40% of all energy use in the EU-25, is the single biggest energy-consuming sector; notes further that rising energy prices are not only affecting the whole economy but above all the socially disadvantaged; encourages the Commission and Member States to come up with a coordinated European building initiative in which innovative financing solutions are proposed in close collaboration with the European Investment Bank;
12. Recognises that the development of urban heating and cooling networks is a key way to enhance the security of energy supply of buildings since it allows greater flexibility of fuel use; notes that combined heat and power and tri-generation are technologies that should be promoted and which could not only contribute to a larger share in energy supply for RES, but also improve energy efficiency, while industrial cogeneration is also a key way of reducing the volatility of energy prices for big industrial consumers;
13. Reaffirms its strong support for RES, calls on Member States to redouble efforts to achieve the targets of a 12% share of total energy consumption and 22.1% of electricity from RES and a 5.75% share of fuel consumption by 2010 and calls for a proposal for a directive to promote heating and cooling from RES in order to achieve the overall target; calls on the Commission, before the end of the year, to set sectoral targets for RES in order to meet the overall target of obtaining 25% of the EU’s energy from renewable sources by 2020;
14. Welcomes the new initiatives by the Commission in its Biomass Action Plan and the proposal for biofuels and calls on all EU institutions to speed up efforts to use the potential of renewables from biomass while paying due attention to environmental considerations;
15. Welcomes emerging plans to develop off-shore wind on a large scale in the North Sea and calls on the Commission and the countries bordering the North Sea to coordinate their efforts to make these investments happen at the earliest possible stage;
16. Notes that there is considerable room for a further improvement in renewable sources of energy and for a global market in new equipment and systems based on RES, and calls on the European Union to provide renewable energy technologies endowed with sufficient resources in the Seventh Framework Programme of Research and to help SMEs in this sector to use their leadership in technology to achieve success on the global market;
17. Recognises the growing importance of gas as an important element in attaining EU climate change goals and stimulating new entry in the EU electricity market and the need to use different strategies for the security of gas supply such as the development of LNG terminals and storage facilities as well as new pipelines; notes that efforts to diversify geographical supply and to enhance interconnections are especially needed in Central and Eastern Europe;
18. Considers that, if nuclear energy production continues to play a role in some Member States, decisions on this matter can only be taken at Member State level within the framework of subsidiarity;
19. Notes that, with 6% of EU final energy, nuclear plays a minor role in helping to guarantee security of supply in the vast majority of EU Member States, furthermore notes that nuclear energy prevents investment in a truly energy-efficient and climate-friendly economy and causes a certain number of problems and risks, such as like long-lived highly radioactive waste, risks of major accidents and risks of proliferation;
20. Notes that the economically available uranium reserves will last for an estimated 40 to 60 years at the current rate of use; notes that, in their assessments of the advantages and drawbacks of different energy technologies, EU institutions must, when considering nuclear energy options, take all costs into consideration, such as those of decommissioning and negative effects on the environment and the health and nuclear proliferation questions;
21. Strongly holds the view that an essential part of maintaining security of supply is the rapid transposition of current EU provisions by all Member States to achieve a fully functioning internal market in electricity and gas to enhance competitiveness, transparency and energy efficiency;
22. Calls on the Commission to strongly react to the market dominance and market imperfections as described in the 'sector inquiry' forwarded by DG Competition on 16 February 2006 and to submit new proposals for combating market dominance and market imperfections with a concrete set of actions and instruments; calls for closer cooperation between the European and national competition authorities in order to give a coordinated and truly European answer to the emerging national economic patriotism;
23. Recognises that taxation can have an important part to play in influencing patterns of behaviour, as can regulations and technical measures, and considers that there is still an unfair distribution of incentives, for example in the VAT sector, in which gas consumption can be taxed at a lower rate than the use of renewable technologies;
24. Considers therefore that fiscal measures should be used as an incentive, particularly for technologies which are environmentally friendly, sustainable and indigenous, and welcomes therefore the recent Council decision amending the Sixth Council Directive 77/388/EEC of 17 May 1997 on the harmonisation of the laws of the Member States relating to turnover taxes - Common system of value-added tax: uniform basis of assessment so that Member States may apply a reduced rate of value-added tax to materials and services for energy efficiency;
25. Stresses the enormous innovation gap that currently exists in the energy sector and calls on the Commission to prepare a road map to speed up market penetration of existing best practice and best technologies in sectors like lighting, appliances, office equipment, consumer electronics, buildings, cars and decentralised electricity production, using a set of instruments such as public procurement and innovative financing mechanisms such as third-party financing;
26. Recognises the importance of increasing investment in R&D, taking advantage of existing technologies and promoting new ones in order to keep Europe at the cutting edge in comparison with its competitors and to create new sustainable and long-term jobs, maintaining consistency with the goals of the Lisbon Agenda and paving the way for achieving, overall, Millennium Development Goal 7 concerning ensuring environmental sustainability;
27. Considers it essential that the EU lead by example in maintaining research expenditure within the Seventh Framework Programme on sustainable energy technologies and energy conservation measures;
28. Recalls that there is currently no legal basis for a consistent and independent European energy policy, and that a European strategy must be based on consensus and agreement among the Member States and broad public acceptance, and urges all EU Institutions to concentrate in their discussions on those areas where such consensus could quickly emerge, such as energy and transport efficiency, renewable energies and getting the internal market right and to leave those issues where no agreement can be reached at EU level - notably nuclear energy - to subsidiarity;
29. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission and the Parliaments of the Member States.