Brussels, 27/11/2006 (Agence Europe) - In its adoption on Thursday, by 34 votes in favour, none against and three abstentions, the report by British MEP Eluned Morgan (PES) on the Green Paper on energy, the ITRE committee of the European Parliament firmly pleaded first of all for binding objectives for the reduction of CO2 emissions between 2012 and 2020- by adopting an amendment tabled by the Greens, it supported a 30% objective on the basis of 1990 levels- and in favour of an indicative objective for 2050. It is also calling for the Community system of trading in emissions quotas to be revised to include the progressive use of selling off quotas by auction or result-based performance assessment and including additional sectors with high energy consumption, covering all modes of transport. By supporting a Community objective of at least 20% of energy savings between now and 2020, the ITRE committee also reiterated its commitment to making energy efficiency a priority in all sectorial policies). It is calling for a specific strategy for the transport sector, aiming both to phase out the use of fossil fuels, to reduce the EU's external energy dependency and gradually to increase the use of clean energies in this sector. In order to speed up the diversification of energy sources, the Morgan report stresses the need for a stable political framework in the long term, based on an objective of 25% between now and 2020 for the proportion of renewable energies in the EU's entire energy use and on a road map to achieve the objective of 50% between now and 2040. The ITRE committee also recognised the role of nuclear in the energy diversification of certain Member States and in limiting CO2 emissions, and supports the idea that decisions on the future of nuclear energy should remain under the jurisdiction of the Member States concerned. The Morgan report goes on to stress the importance of putting consumers at the very heart of future energy policies (particularly by guaranteeing access to information on prices and supply and changing supplier) and treating the question of "energy poverty" with greater clarity. On external energy relations, the ITRE committee believes that the EU must define a common position towards third countries to increase its negotiation capacity with producer and consumer countries. The Energy Commissioner should, in the view of the committee, assume a well-defined mandate determining a European perspective for energy planning in the longer term. Lastly, the ITRE committee calls for the real risks of a deficit in supplies of Russian gas post-2010 to be taken seriously and to urge Moscow to ratify the Energy Charter and its transit protocol. The Morgan report will be voted on at the plenary to be held in Strasbourg in December. (eh)