Goede infrastructuur noodzakelijk bij voltooiing interne energiemarkt (en)

In order to finalize the internal energy market of the European Union which will ensure secure energy supply and competitive prices for European customers it is necessary to develop physical energy interconnections between the EU member states. It is expected that the list of Projects of common interest that was announced by European Commission and officially presented during the high level energy conference “Completing the Internal Energy Market: Building an Integrated European Energy Network” will help to accelerate this goal.

„The list of Projects of Common Interest has not had a precedent yet. Therefore we all have to give our efforts for this list to become a part of the history of the successful implementation of the energy infrastructure projects. I would like to stress that the implementation of these projects depends on the common desire of all the stakeholders to have a competitive common energy market and more stable European economy,“ - said minister of Energy Jaroslav Neverovič during the conference in Vilnius.

During the conference Commissioner Gunther Oettinger i pointed out that until now, the European energy market is lagging behind other sectors. According the Commissioner, in the energy sector along with 28 national shares EU is still far from a single energy market, therefore it is time to abandon national borders while planning and implementing EU Energy infrastructure. Also, energy market needs to catch up with other sectors, such as industry, telecommunications and transport.

During the conference discussions it was stressed that acceptance of the implemented infrastructure projects by the European community is one of the core elements in order to create integrated EU energy system. Projects of energy infrastructure are cross-border therefore European communities must have a clear vision of long term benefits of their implementation and to see the projects through the lens of common European and not individual interest.

According to the conference participants, the legal base of EU energy sector was greatly improved during the last years, but in order to make the common rules effective, physical infrastructure is vital. Projects of Common Interest, if implemented, will significantly contribute to removing barriers to the EU internal market and will start a new stage of the EU-wide energy policy.

A list of Projects of Common Interest includes energy infrastructure projects of regional importance. The proposed list includes six energy infrastructure projects of the Baltic Energy Market Interconnection Plan (BEMIP) that are implemented with the involvement of Lithuania.

EU PCI will be ensured by accelerated planning and permit granting procedures, as a binding three-and-a-half-year term for the permit granting is provided. These projects can also be submitted for funding under an EU support, namely the Connecting Europe Facility, which budget for 2014-2020 may reach 5.85 billion euros.

The list of PCI proposed by the European Commission will be approved by the European Parliament and the EU Council that is currently chaired by Lithuania. During the conference the representatives of European institutions have stated their firm support for the implementation of PCI as soon as possible.