The Conference of Presidents decided on Thursday 10 September to include on the agenda for the next plenary session the vote on the regulation establishing the Just Transition Fund, led by Manolis Kefalogiannis (EPP, Greece).
The vote in the European Parliament’s Committee on Regional Development (REGI) (see EUROPE 12521/1) on financing gas infrastructure (Article 5) provoked an outcry on the left flank of the European Parliament, forcing the text to be put to the next plenary session for a vote on Tuesday 15 September (on amendments) and Wednesday 16 September (final vote).
The current parliamentary majority, structured around the EPP, part of Renew Europe and the S&D, would still be in favour of maintaining this funding. But some in Parliament point out that the behaviour of the plenary, because of the nominative votes and media visibility, may lead to unexpected results. The rejection of the macroeconomic conditions (see EUROPE 12193/2) by the European Parliament in plenary, notably by a large part of the EPP, had come as a surprise.
We are told that the willingness to continue financing gas infrastructure among the Eastern delegations is surprising, as it means de facto greater dependence on Russia. Conversion to methanisation could be an interesting response for these Member States.
Other points will also be the subject of amendments, such as support for large companies, which would not be subject to State Aid restrictions, and the issue of support for companies in difficulty due to the energy transition. Financing certain storage and district heating technologies is also reportedly being debated and therefore is the subject of potential amendments.
On the EU Council side
In the EU Council, national delegations continue to work on the Regulation, bringing it into line with the positions adopted following the extraordinary summit in July (see EUROPE 12532/2). However, it should be noted that Member States have maintained the European Commission’s proposal to exclude gas financing (see EUROPE 12513/9).
At working group level, the mandatory transfer from the Cohesion Funds to the Just Transition Fund continues to be debated. The so-called ‘frugal’ countries (the Netherlands, Denmark, Austria and Sweden) as well as Finland, Luxembourg and Belgium insist on maintaining a compulsory transfer, we are told. The German EU Council Presidency aims for a vote on a final agreement by the end of September. (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)