On Thursday 4 April, the European Parliament approved the text of the new directive on common rules for the internal market in natural gas (see EUROPE 12199/25).
The report by Jerzy Buzek (EPP, Poland), adopted by a large majority (465 votes in favour, 95 against, 68 abstentions) by MEPs, aims to extend the application of EU gas market rules to pipelines to and from non-Member States. Its objective is in particular to supervise the controversial Russian Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project.
After adoption by the EU Council, the Directive will be published in the Official Journal of the EU and will enter into force 20 days later. Member States will have 9 months to transpose it into national law.
Rapporteur Jerzy Buzek pointed out that the new directive made it possible to “put an end to the era of monopolies on the European gas market”. However, for Werner Langen (EPP, Germany), the reform does discriminate against the Nord Stream 2 pipeline.
Miguel Arias Cañete, Energy Commissioner, said that “the promoters of Nord Stream 2 should be satisfied with the removal of legal uncertainties”. He specified that the requests for derogations will be made by the authorities of the first country where the pipeline ends, in this case Germany. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)