20/09/2010

Securing Europe's Gas Supply

by Alejo Vidal-Quadras

The situation in the EU with regard to its energy supply security is well-known: the EU does not have enough own gas resources and needs to rely on external supply, creating a fragile and interdependent transnational supply system. The 2008 gas supply crisis showed that de facto there was enough gas in EU pipelines to supply all EU countries, but that it was national market rules and the lack of interconnecting infrastructures between Member States that resulted in a failure to assist the countries directly affected by the gas cut from Russia and Ukraine.

After some months of hard work and negotiations on the subject, this week's European legislative agenda should witness the approval, by Plenary voting in Strasbourg, of the Regulation on Security of Gas Supply. The report, which was presented to the ITRE Committee last July, and of which I have been appointed Rapporteur, was adopted by unanimous support in the Committee, after an agreement was reached with the Council in first reading.

It is worth acknowledging such a positive outcome. The principle of guaranteeing energy supply security has been established by the Member States for some time now. However, their differing ideas on how to reach this goal might explain why it has taken the European Union so long to take its first important legislative steps in that direction. Negotiations have indeed been long and laborious, but I can gladly affirm that the voting outcome has witnessed the clear approval of all Member States.

In passing this Regulation, a milestone will finally have been reached, marking a turning point in terms of energy supply security. Through the adoption of this piece of legislation, Member States will share and respect a common set of infrastructure and supply standards, which will favour overall interconnections and establish solidarity mechanisms between them, all of which will take place under the unprecedented supervision of the European Commission.

With this text, the Parliament has therefore been able to prevent any Government, invoking an energy crisis, from intervening in the market, thus endangering the energy supply security of any of its neighbouring countries. The market and its interconnections are the first and best defence against potential future crises.

The adoption of the Regulation on Security of Gas Supply by unanimity in its first reading finally draws me to another important conclusion; it testifies to the legislative trend in which today Parliament is taking an increasing role and influencing position. In doing so, the Parliament is able to significantly increase the Union's democratic legitimacy, providing true European solutions to our global problems.