Energy : European strategy for the security of supply. Green Paper

The European Parliament adopted the resolution by Mr Giles Bryan CHICHESTER (EPP-ED, UK) which reponds to the Commission's Green Paper on energy supply. In addition to the recommendations specified in the text from the committee responsible (please refer to the previous text), it should be added that the Commission is called upon to submit a proposal for introducing a national energy requirement. It considers that Member States should be allowed within this energy requirement to finance energy sources in accordance with the principles of general interest services and environmental protection, whilst fully respecting EU competition and State aid rules. On the other hand, all the EU institutions are called upon to encourage the shift towards zero-carbon emission fuels for power, notably electricity generation from nuclear energy, hydrogen for transport fuel from biomass, hydroelectric, sloar and wind energy sources, both by removing existing legislative obstacles and by aking them subject to a specific EU-wide exemption from all excise duties, energy taxes or climate levies and also by providing incentives to encourage a shift towards efficient energy production plants, including combined heat and power. The Parliament notes that the resources allocated to research into new and better methods of producing and using energy, in the Sixth Framework Programme for Research and Development project, do not meet the expectations for increasing energy efficiency. Therefore, it proposes that a greater share of funds be allocated, in absolute and relative terms, to researching systems. Lastly, the Parliament recognises the importance of good political relations with EU major energy supply partner countries and considers that this cooperation should be reinforced.�