Energy: organisation of cooperation around agreed Community objectives

The amended proposal incorporates, in part or in full, the 8 amendments adopted by the European Parliament at first reading. The main changes to the initial proposal relate to the following points: - the accent will be placed on increasing efficiency, on renewable sources of energy and, where nuclear technologies are concerned, on techniques for final storage; - the framework for energy cooperation set up by the decision will also help to prevent excess capacity, guarantee initiatives (including national initiatives), promote and develop sustainable techniques and reduce energy consumption; - the Commission will implement actions for the rapid introduction of a taxation or incentive system commensurate with sustainable energy policy objectives; - in line with the principle of subsidiarity, the Commission will propose specific Community actions and/or programmes which will enable the agreed energy policy targets to be attained; - the Commission will draw up a report at least every two years containing a comparative overview of progress made, if any, by the Member States in attaining the agreed targets. It should be noted that the Commission rejected the amendments relating to: - the foundation of a European climate agency; - environmental protection, which it considered was the primary objective to be pursued; - a standardized method of calculating how external costs are to be internalized; - the introduction of an energy excise duty; - the inclusion of a new chapter in the Treaty on European Union devoted to energy, requiring commitments to sustainability, energy efficiency, conservation of resources and preservation of the environment (this amendment no longer applies now that the results of the intergovernmental conference in Amsterdam are available).�