25.4.2013 Official Journal of the European Union L 115/39 REGULATION (EU) No 3472013 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 17 April 2013 on guidelines for trans-European energy infrastructure and repealing Decision No 1364/2006/EC and amending Regulations (EC) No 713/2009, (EC) No 714/2009 and (EC) No 715/2009 (Text with EEA relevance) THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, and in particular Article 172 thereof, Having regard to the proposal from the European Commission, After transmission of the draft legislative act to the national parliaments, Having regard to the opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee (1), Having regard to the opinion of the Committee of the Regions (3), Acting in accordance with the ordinary legislative procedure (%), Whereas: (1) On 26 March 2010, the European Council agreed to the Commission’s proposal to launch a new strategy ‘Europe 2020’. One of the priorities of the Europe 2020 strategy is sustainable growth to be achieved by promoting a more resource-efficient, more sustainable and more competitive economy. That strategy put energy infra- structures at the forefront as part of the flagship initiative ‘Resource efficient Europe’, by underlining the need to urgently upgrade Europe’s networks, interconnecting them at the continental level, in particular to integrate renewable energy sources. (2)  The target agreed in the conclusions of the March 2002 Barcelona European Council for Member States to have a level of electricity interconnections equivalent to at least to 10 % of their installed production capacity has not yet been achieved. () O] C 143, 22.5.2012, p. 125. () OJ C 277, 13.9.2012, p. 137. (°) Position of the European Parliament of 12 March 2013 (not yet published in the Oftficial Journal) and decision of the Council of 21 March 2013. (3)  The communication from the Commission entitled ‘Energy  infrastructure  priorities for 2020 and beyond — A Blueprint for an integrated European energy network’, followed by the Council conclusions of 28 February 2011 and the European Parliament resol- ution (¥, called for a new energy infrastructure policy to optimise network development at European level for the period up to 2020 and beyond, in order to allow the Union to meet its core energy policy objectives of competitiveness, sustainability and security of supply. (4)  The European Council of 4 February 2011 underlined the need to modernise and expand Europe’s energy infra- structure and to interconnect networks across borders, in order to make solidarity between Member States oper- ational, to provide for alternative supply or transit routes and sources of energy and to develop renewable energy sources in competition with traditional sources. It insisted that no Member State should remain isolated from the European gas and electricity networks after 2015 or see its energy security jeopardised by lack of the appropriate connections. (5)  Decision No 1364/2006/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council (°) lays down guidelines for trans- European energy networks (TEN-E). Those guidelines have as objectives to support the completion of the Union internal energy market while encouraging the rational production, transportation, distribution and use of energy resources, to reduce the isolation of less- favoured and island regions, to secure and diversify the Union’s energy supplies, sources and routes, including through cooperation with third countries, and to contribute to sustainable development and protection of the environment. (6)  Evaluation of the current TEN-E framework has clearly shown that this framework, while making a positive contribution to selected projects by giving them political visibility, lacks vision, focus, and flexibility to fill identified infrastructure gaps. The Union should therefore increase its efforts to meet future challenges in this field, and due attention should be paid to iden- tifying potential future gaps in energy demand and supply. (*) European Parliament resolution of 5 July 2011 on energy infra- structure priorities for 2020 and beyond (O] C 33 E, 5.2.2013, p. 46). () OJ L 262, 22.9.2006, p. 1.