15.7.2003 Official Journal of the European Union L 176/1 (Acts whose publication is obligatory) REGULATION (EC) No 1228/2003 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 26 June 2003 on conditions for access to the network for cross-border exchanges in electricity (Text with EEA relevance) THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, and in particular Article 95 thereof, Having regard to the proposal from the Commission (%), Having regard to the Opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee (2), Having consulted the Committee of the Regions, Acting in accordance with the procedure laid down in Article 251 of the Treaty (?), Whereas: (1)  Directive 96/92/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 19 December 1996 concerning common rules for the internal market in electricity (*) constituted an important step towards the completion of the internal market in electricity. (2) At its meeting in Lisbon on 23 and 24 March 2000, the European Council called for rapid work to be undertaken to complete the internal market in both the electricity and gas sectors and to speed up liberalisation in these sectors with a view to achieving a fully operational internal market in these areas. (3)  The creation of a real internal electricity market should be promoted through an intensification of trade in electricity, which is currently underdeveloped compared with other sectors of the economy. (1) O] C 240 E, 28.8.2001, p. 72, and O] C 227 E, 24.9.2002, p. 440. (3 O] C 36, 8.2.2002, p. 10. (*) Opinion of the European Parliament of 13 March 2002 (O] C 47 E, 27.2.2003, p. 379), Council Common position of 3 February 2003 (O] C 50 E, 4.3.2003, p. 1) and Decision of the European Parliament of 4 June 2003 (not yet published in the Official Journal). () OJ L 27, 30.1.1997, p. 20. 4) Fair, cost-reflective, transparent and directly applicable rules, taking account of a comparison between efficient network operators from structurally comparable areas and supplementing the provisions of Directive 96/92/EC, should be introduced with regard to cross-border tarification and the allocation of available interconnection capacities, in order to ensure effective access to transmission systems for the purpose of cross-border transactions. In its Conclusions, the Energy Council of 30 May 2000 invited the Commission, Member States and national regulatory authorities and administrations to ensure timely implementation of congestion management measures and, in liaison with the European Transmission ~ System  Operators  (ETSO),  rapid introduction of a robust tarification system for the longer term which provides the appropriate cost allocation signals to market participants. The European Parliament, in its Resolution of 6 July 2000 on the Commission’s second report on the state of liberalisation of energy markets, called for conditions for using networks in Member States that do not hamper cross-border trade in electricity and called on the Commission to submit specific proposals geared to overcoming all the existing barriers to intra-Community trade. It is important that third countries that form part of the European electricity system comply with the rules contained in this Regulation and the guidelines adopted under this Regulation in order to increase the effective functioning of the internal market. This Regulation should lay down basic principles with regard to tarification and capacity allocation, whilst providing for the adoption of guidelines detailing further relevant principles and methodologies, in order to allow rapid adaptation to changed circumstances.