Opinion of the Commission pursuant to Article 189B(2) of the EC Treaty on the European Parliament's second reading of the Council's Common position for a European Parliament and Council Directive concerning common rules for the internal market in natural gas
COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES Brussels, 05. 05. 1998 COM(1998) 299 final - COD 385 OPINION OF THE COMMISSION pursuant to the Article 189 b (2) of the EC-Treaty on the European Parliament's second reading of the Council's Common position for a European Parliament and Council directive concerning common rules for the internal market in natural gas EXPLANATORY MEMQRANPVM The present proposal for a Directive is based on Article 57(2), Article 66 and Article 100a of the EC Treaty. These articles require the procedure of Article 189b of the EC Treaty. The Commission presents its Opinion on the second reading of the European Parliament. I. STATE OF THE PROCEDURE The Commission presented to the Council on 21 February 1992 a proposal for a Council Directive concerning common rules for the internal market for natural gas (COM(91) 548 final SYN 385). The Economic and Social Committee gave its opinion on 27 January 1993. The European Parliament gave its opinion in a first reading on 17 November 1993. It proposed a number of amendments. The Commission presented an amended proposal for a European Parliament and Council Directive on 7 December 1993 (COM(93)643 final - COD 385). The Council of the European Union adopted a common position on 12 February 1998. The Commission accepted the common position on 12 February 1998 (SEC(1998) 209 final COD 385), and informed the European Parliament of its opinion. The European Parliament voted on the second reading on 30 April 1998, adopting a favourable resolution which included no amendments to the common position. II OBJECT The present proposal for a Directive concerns the transmission, distribution, supply and storage of natural gas. It aims at ensuring the introduction of competition to the natural gas sector, creating more efficiency, ensuring more transparency, strengthening security of supply and providing equal access for all eligible customers to this sector. The proposal is part of the second phase of the effort of the Commission to establish the internal gas market and as such represents an important phase towards the creation of a true internal market in the natural gas sector. It may be followed by further measures improving the internal market in natural gas. IH THE COMMISSION'S OPINION ON THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT'S SECOND READING The Commission welcomes the fact that the European Parliament did not adopt any amendments on the common position of the Council in its second reading of 30 April 1998. The Commission invites the Council to definitively adopt the Directive in question in accordance with the common position. ISSN 0254-1475 COM(98) 299 final DOCUMENTS EN 12 10 15 02 Catalogue number : CB-CO-98-299-EN-C ISBN 92-78-35932-7 Office for Official Publications of the European Communities L-2985 Luxembourg