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having regard to Regulation (EU) No 347/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 April 2013 on guidelines for trans-European energy infrastructure and repealing Decision No 1364/2006/EC and amending Regulations (EC) No 713/2009, (EC) No 714/2009 and (EC) No 715/2009 (1),

—

having regard to Regulation (EU) No 1316/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 December 2013 establishing the Connecting Europe Facility, amending Regulation (EU) No 913/2010 and repealing Regulations (EC) No 680/2007 and (EC) No 67/2010 (2),

—

having regard to Parliament’s position at first reading adopted on 17 April 2019 on the revision of Regulation (EU) No 1316/2013 establishing the Connecting Europe Facility (3) and to its call for the Trans-European Network-Energy (TEN-E) Regulation (EU) No 347/2013 to be opened for revision in the light of the European Union’s current climate and energy targets,

—

having regard to Council Decision (EU) 2016/1841 of 5 October 2016 on the conclusion on behalf of the European Union of the Paris Agreement adopted under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (4),

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having regard to its resolution of 4 October 2017 on the 2017 UN Climate Change Conference in Bonn, Germany (COP23) (5),

—

having regard to the Commission communication to the European Parliament, the European Council, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions entitled ‘A Clean Planet for all: a European strategic long-term vision for a prosperous, modern, competitive and climate neutral economy’ (COM(2018)0773),

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having regard to its resolution of 25 October 2018 on the 2018 UN Climate Change Conference in Katowice, Poland (COP24) (6),

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having regard to the Clean Energy for all Europeans legislative package,

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having regard to its resolution of 28 November 2019 on the 2019 UN Climate Change Conference in Madrid, Spain (COP25) (7),

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having regard to the European Council conclusions of 12 December 2019 endorsing the objective of achieving a climate-neutral Union by 2050,

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having regard to its resolution of 28 November 2019 on the climate and environment emergency (8),

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having regard to the Commission communication to the European Parliament, the European Council, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions entitled ‘The European Green Deal’ (COM(2019)0640),

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having regard to the energy lending criteria of the European Investment Bank,

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having regard to its resolution of 15 January 2020 on the European Green Deal (9),

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having regard to Article 172 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU),

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having regard to the question to the Commission on the revision of the guidelines for trans-European energy infrastructure (O-000012/2020 — B9-0008/2020),

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having regard to Rule 136(5) and 132(2) of its Rules of Procedure,

—

having regard to the motion for a resolution of the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy,

A.

whereas Regulation (EU) No 347/2013 on guidelines for trans-European energy infrastructure (‘TEN-E Regulation’) lays down rules for the timely development and interoperability of TEN-E networks in order to achieve the Union’s energy policy objectives;

B.

whereas the TEN-E Regulation identifies priority corridors and thematic areas in trans-European energy infrastructure, and provides guidelines for the selection of projects of common interest (PCIs); whereas the TEN-E Regulation establishes that PCIs can obtain financial support from the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF), and would benefit from streamlined permit granting procedures, as well as specific regulatory treatment providing access to cross-border cost-allocation mechanisms and incentives, and increased transparency;

C.

whereas the first list of PCIs, established in 2013 by Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) No 1391/2013, contained 248 PCIs, the second list, established by Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2016/89, contained 195 PCIs, and the third list, established by Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2018/540 contained 173 PCIs; whereas the Commission adopted the fourth PCI list on 31 October 2019, containing 151 PCIs;

D.

whereas, as reflected in Parliament’s first reading position of 17 April 2019 on the proposal for a regulation on the Connecting Europe Facility for the period 2021-2027, the co-legislators have provisionally agreed that the Commission should evaluate the effectiveness and policy coherence of the TEN-E Regulation in the light of, inter alia, the Union’s energy and climate targets for 2030, the EU’s long-term commitment to decarbonisation, and the energy efficiency first principle; whereas this assessment should be submitted to Parliament and the Council by 31 December 2020;

E.

whereas the TEN-E Regulation was approved before the adoption of the Paris Agreement, which includes a commitment to ‘holding the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2 oC above pre-industrial levels and pursuing efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1,5 oC above pre-industrial levels’;

F.

whereas several developments have significantly changed the energy policy landscape in the Union since the adoption of the TEN-E Regulation in 2013;

G.

whereas energy plays a central role in the transition to a net-zero GHG emissions economy, and whereas efforts to continue decarbonising the energy system are therefore necessary to enable the Union to reach net zero emissions by 2050 at the latest, while at the same time promoting the transition in other sectors, and coping with increased electricity demand;

H.

whereas with the aim of achieving its climate and energy goals and boosting smart, sustainable and inclusive growth, the Union needs up-to-date, high-performance energy infrastructure that is future-proof, cost-efficient and can provide security of energy supply, including diversification of routes, sources and suppliers;

I.

whereas the TEN-E Regulation identifies the trans-European energy infrastructure priorities to be implemented in order to meet the Union’s energy and climate policy objectives, and identifies projects of common interest needed to deliver on those priorities;

J.

whereas priority corridors, priority areas and eligibility criteria should follow the evolution of the energy system and always be consistent with Union policy priorities, in particular in the context of the long-term decarbonisation pathways;

K.

whereas adequate infrastructure deployment and energy efficiency policies should be implemented in a complementary way so as to help reach the Union objectives and targets as cost-effectively as possible;

L.

whereas Parliament, in its resolution of 15 January 2020 on the European Green Deal, calls for ‘a revision of the trans-European energy (TEN-E) guidelines before the adoption of the next list of projects of common interest (PCI)’;

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5.