22. 4. 97 Official Journal of the European Communities No L 104/1 (Acts whose publication is obligatory) COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 701/97 of 14 April 1997 amending a programme to promote international cooperation in the energy sector — Synergy programme THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, and in particular Article 235 thereof, Having regard to the proposal from the Commission ('), Having regard to the opinion of the European Parli- ament (3), Whereas, for reasons of the competitiveness of the Communty’s industries, security of supply and the protec- tion of the environment, energy matters must be an important element in the Union’s international activities; Whereas the Community’s accession to the Energy Charter Treaty and the Convention on Climate Change commits it to cooperation in the energy field; Whereas the conclusions of the Council of Ministers for Development and Cooperation of 18 November 1992 on the guidelines for cooperation with the developing coun- tries for clean and efficient energy technology stressed that an essential objective of energy cooperation with all developing countries was the implementation of effective energy policies; Whereas, as stressed in the Council resolution of 8 July 1996 on the White Paper ‘An energy policy for the Euro- pean Union’ (%), energy developments in the Community are increasingly influenced by external developments and efforts must therefore be made to ensure that the Community develops a coherent and consistent approach to energy matters with third countries; Whereas the Community is engaged in international energy activities under various programmes and whereas, to ensure that these activities are consistent, they should () OJ No C 310, 22. 11. 1995, p. 10 and OJ No C 194, 5. 7. 1996, p. 20. () OJ No C 115, 14. 4. 1997. () OJ No C 224, 1. 8. 1996, p. 1. be coordinated within a programme for energy policy cooperation with non-member States; Whereas, as part of the Community energy objectives towards non-member States, cooperation can be satisfied by the creation of such a programme; whereas the legal instrument on which this programme is based should allow all international energy activities, particularly those in the fields of renewable energy sources and energy effi- ciency, to be incorporated into a consistent strategy and adjusted to the various Community policies; Whereas this programme contributes to the coordination of the Community’s other measures in the energy sector; whereas there must therefore be no duplication with other Community programmes, programmes of the Member States, non-member States and international organiza- tions; Whereas the principal objectives of the programme, par- ticularly the coordination of the various programmes of international measures, by reason of their wide-ranging nature, can be attained in the best possible manner at a Community level; Whereas it is necessary to establish a legal instrument for the activities of the Community’s international coopera- tion in the field of energy policy; Whereas according to the Council resolution on the White Paper ‘An energy policy for the European Union’, political and trade relations are essential components of energy policy, and accordingly the Community’s inter- national energy cooperation measures should be integ- rated more effectively in its external policy as a whole; Whereas energy cooperation pursuant to the programme should be to improve competitiveness of Community industries, to enhance security of supply, to promote sustainable development and to improve energy ef- ficiency; whereas effect may be given to such cooperation by the provision of cooperation and co-financing of projects;