Natural gas: common rules for the internal market

The Committee has adopted the recommendation for second reading by Claude DESAMA ( PES, B) on Council's common position concerning the common rules for the internal market in natural gas.The Committee decided to follow its rapporteur and to accept the common position unmodified. The proposal was part of the framework for the internal energy market with a view to establishing common rules governing the internal market in electricity and natural gas. The Directive on the electricity market was adopted in December 1996. The draft basically took over the principles of the electricity directive, i.e. access to the system, reciprocity, subsidiarity and the gradual opening up of the market, while taking account of the specific features of the natural gas market. The only amendment adopted was one that called on the Commission to review the application of the directive after three years and to submit a report on the functioning of the internal market in natural gas and the implementation of the general rules. �