51995AP0220

A4-0220/95

Decision on the common position adopted by the Council with a view to the adoption of a European Parliament and Council Decision laying down a series of guidelines on trans-European energy networks (C4-0278/95 - 94/0009(COD))

(Codecision procedure: second reading)

The European Parliament,

- having regard to the common position of the Council, C4-0278/95 - 94/0009(COD),

- having regard to its opinion at first reading ((OJ C 151, 19.6.1995, p. 228. )) on the Commission proposal to Parliament and the Council, COM(93)0685 ((OJ C 072, 10.3.1994, p. 10.)),

- having regard to the amended Commission proposal, COM(95)0226 ((OJ C 205, 10.8.1995, p. 6.)),

- having regard to Article 189b(2) of the EC Treaty,

- having regard to Rule 72 of its Rules of Procedure,

- having regard to the recommendation for second reading of the Committee on Research, Technological Development and Energy (A4-0220/95),

1. Amends the common position as follows;

2. Calls on the Commission to support Parliament's amendments in the opinion it is required to deliver pursuant to Article 189b(2)(d) of the EC Treaty;

3. Calls on the Council to approve all Parliament's amendments, amend its common position accordingly and definitively adopt the act;

4. Instructs its President to forward this decision to the Council and Commission.

(Amendment 1)

Recital 3a (new)

>Text following EP vote>

Whereas efforts must be made, in the planning, development and construction of the links currently missing from the trans-European networks for the transport of energy products, to ensure that these links are as short as possible and optimally sited, taking economic factors into account;

(Amendment 6)

Article 6(3), first subparagraph

>Original text>

3. Any application, by a Member State or the Commission, for updating the Annex shall be submitted by the Commission and decided upon in accordance with the procedure laid down in Article 9.

>Text following EP vote>

3. Any application, by a Member State or the Commission, for updating the Annex shall be considered by the Committee established by Article 9, submitted by the Commission and decided upon in accordance with the procedure laid down in the first and second paragraphs of Article 129d of the EC Treaty.

(Amendment 2)

Article 9

>Original text>

1. The Commission shall be assisted by a Committee composed of the representatives of the Member States and chaired by the representative of the Commission.

>Text following EP vote>

1. The Commission shall be assisted by an Advisory Committee composed of representatives of the Member States and chaired by the representative of the Commission.

>Original text>

2. The representative of the Commission shall submit to the Committee a draft of the measures to be taken. The Committee shall deliver its opinion on the draft within a time limit which the Chairman may lay down according to the urgency of the matter. The opinion shall be delivered by the majority laid down in Article 148(2) of the Treaty in the case of decisions which the Council is required to adopt on a proposal from the Commission. The votes of the representatives of the Member States within the Committee shall be weighted in the manner set out in that Article. The Chairman shall not vote.

>Text following EP vote>

2. The representative of the Commission shall submit to the Committee and to the European Parliament a draft of the measures to be taken. The committee shall deliver its opinion on the draft within a time limit which the Chairman may lay down according to the urgency of the matter, if necessary by taking a vote.

The opinion shall be recorded in the minutes; in addition, each Member State shall have the right to ask to have its position recorded in the minutes. The minutes shall be forwarded to the European Parliament.

The Commission shall take the utmost account of the opinion delivered by the committee and any observations of the European Parliament. It shall inform the committee and the European Parliament of the manner in which their opinions have been taken into account.

>Original text>

3. (a) The Commission shall adopt the measures envisaged if they are in accordance with the opinion of the Committee.

>Text following EP vote>

Deleted

>Original text>

(b) If the measures envisaged are not in accordance with the opinion of the Committee, or if no opinion is delivered, the Commission shall, without delay, submit to the Council a proposal relating to the measures to be taken. The Council shall act by a qualified majority.

>Original text>

If, on the expiry of a period of three months from the date of referral to the Council, the Council has not acted, the proposed measures shall be adopted by the Commission.

(Amendment 4)

Annex (d14)

>Original text>

d14. Baltic ring: Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Estonia

Latvia, Lithuania, Belarus, Poland, Germany

>Text following EP vote>

d14. Baltic ring: Germany, Poland, Russia (Baltic regions), Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Sweden, Finland, Denmark and Belarus

(Amendment 5)

Annex (h3) (new)

>Text following EP vote>

h3. Norway - Denmark - Sweden - Finland - Baltic States:

Joint Nordic/Baltic Gas Grid