Brussels, 10/02/2003 (Agence Europe) - Without debate on Thursday, the (Education) Council adopted its common position over the draft decision establishing a package of guidelines for the trans-European network in the energy sector, on which the Energy Council secured a political agreement on 25 November 2002. The text has now t be sent t the European Parliament for second reading (co-decision).
This proposal aims to promote inter-connection and interoperability and the development of trans-European networks in the sector. It amends the guidelines focusing them on ten projects of common interest, by defining twelve priority projects and increasing from 10 to 20% the maximum level of co-financing of the priority projects. On 25 November last, the Fifteen had agreed to the proposal of the Danish Presidency of passing more information relating to projects of a common interest from annex III (comitology procedure) to annex II (co-decision procedure). That way, they took account of the concerns of the European Parliament, which feared not being sufficiently consulted on these projects: thus, only technical information will be part of annex III and remain within the comitology procedure, whereas other information will be part of the co-decision procedure that involves the EP.