Energy: natural gas, security of supply

PURPOSE : establishes measures to safeguard an adequate level for the security of gas supply. LEGISLATIVE ACT : Council Directive 2004/67/EC concerning measures to safeguard security of natural gas supply. CONTENT : this Directive establishes a common framework within which Member States must define general, transparent and non-discriminatory security of supply policies compatible with the requirements of a competitive internal gas market. It sets out to clarify the general roles and responsibilities of the different market players and implement specific non-discriminatory procedures to safeguard security of gas supply. Member States must take appropriate steps to ensure that the measures referred to in this Directive do not place an unreasonable and disproportionate burden on gas market players and are compatible with the requirements of a competitive internal gas market. A non-exhaustive list of instruments for the security of gas supply is given in the Annex. The main points are as follows: - Member States must ensure that supplies for household customers are protected to an appropriate extent at least in the event of certain specified events, such as a partial disruption of national gas supplies, or extremely cold temperatures during a nationally determined peak period. A non-exhaustive list in the Annex sets out examples of instruments which may be used in order to achieve the security of supply standards. If an adequate level of interconnection is available, Member States may take the appropriate measures in cooperation with another Member State, including bilateral agreements, to achieve the security of supply standards using gas storage facilities located within that other Member State. - Member States may require the industry to set indicative minimum targets for a possible future contribution of storage, either located within or outside the Member State, to security of supply. These targets must be published; - Given the importance of securing gas supply, i.e. on the basis of long-term contracts, the Commission must monitor the developments on the gas market on the basis of reports from Member States; - A Gas Coordination Group is established in order to facilitate the coordination of security of supply measure; - Member States must adopt and publish national emergency provisions; - Rules are established which are applicable in the event of a major supply disruption; the foreseeable length of such a supply disruption will cover at least eight weeks; - Regarding the handling of a major supply disruption, the Directive provides for a mechanism based on a three step approach. The first step involves the reactions of the industry to the supply disruption; if this were not sufficient, Member States must take measures to solve the supply disruption. Only if the measures taken at stage one and two have failed will appropriate measures be taken at Community level. ENTRY INTO FORCE : 19 May 2004. DATE OF TRANSPOSITION : 19 May 2006.�