MEPs Want Integrated Energy Market With Clear Targets & Secure Supplies

The industry committee set out its demands for a European energy union in a resolution passed on Tuesday. Among them: compliance with the Commission's recommendation concerning hydraulic fracturing, a voluntary system to collectively purchase energy, and support for the development of Europe's own energy resources.

National energy mixes and a fully integrated internal market
"National diversity" in energy-mix choices "must not represent a barrier to the single market", says the committee, which acknowledges "public concerns about hydraulic fracturing and its consequences" and asks "those member states that intend to pursue hydraulic fracturing to respect the Commission's recommendation setting out minimum principles governing the exploration and production of hydrocarbons (such as shale gas) using high volume hydraulic fracturing".

The committee, which wants all legislation on the energy union to be decided by Parliament and the Council on an equal footing, advocates the creation of a legislative framework to "empower consumers and make them active participants in the market". It says this "could contribute to a more competitive and well-functioning internal energy market, and help address serious social problems, such as energy poverty and vulnerable consumers."

The recommended gas-system stress tests would provide an "overview of the resilience of the entire energy market", says the committee, which believes that a "fully-functioning, interconnected internal energy market is the backbone of the future energy union."