The Committee approved the Commission’s proposal for updating
the general objectives of Decision 1254/96/EC of the Council and the European
Parliament, providing for projects in the three new Member States and
integrating the networks concerned into the objectives for the countries of
the Mediterranean and central and eastern
Europe. However, it again expressed doubts on a number of issues, namely: -.
the lack of financial resources allocated to preliminary project studies; -.
the questions that could arise in the course of the debate on the future
directive for the single gas market; -. the insufficient attention being paid
to projects aimed at outlying and remote parts of the Community, which could
be financed by the Structural Funds; -. the lack of attention to the
environmental compatibility of the projects.