Seitenhistorie

1. The Commission shall monitor and review the application of this Directive and submit an overall progress report to the European Parliament and the Council for the first time by
31 December 2004, and thereafter on an annual basis. The progress report shall cover at least:

(a) the experience gained and progress made in creating a com? plete and fully operational internal market in natural gas and the obstacles that remain in this respect including aspects of market dominance, concentration in the market, predatory or anti-competitive behaviour;

(b) the derogations granted under this Directive, including imple? mentation of the derogation provided for in Article 26(4) with a view to a possible revision of the threshold;

(c) the extent to which the unbundling and tarification require? ments contained in this Directive have been successful in ensuring fair and non-discriminatory access to the Commu? nity’s gas system and equivalent levels of competition, as well as the economic, environmental and social consequences of the opening of the gas market for customers;

(d) an examination of issues relating to system capacity levels and security of supply of natural gas in the Community, and in particular the existing and projected balance between demand and supply, taking into account the physical capac? ity for exchanges between areas and the development of stor? age (including the question of the proportionality of market regulation in that field);

(e) special attention will be given to the measures taken in Mem? ber States to cover peak demand and to deal with shortfalls of one or more suppliers;

(f) a general assessment of the progress achieved with regard to bilateral relations with third countries which produce and export or transport natural gas, including progress in market integration, trade and access to the networks of such third countries;

(g) the need for possible harmonisation requirements which are not linked to the provisions of this Directive.

Where appropriate, the progress report may include recommen? dations and measures to counteract the negative effects of market dominance and market concentration.

In the report, the Commission, in consultation with the ENTSO for Gas, may also consider the feasibility of the creation, by trans? mission system operators, of a single European transmission sys? tem operator.

2. Every two years, the progress report referred to in para? graph 1 shall also include an analysis of the different measures taken in Member States to meet public service obligations, together with an examination of the effectiveness of those mea? sures, and, in particular, their effects on competition in the gas market. Where appropriate, the report may include recommen? dations as to the measures to be taken at national level to achieve high public service standards or measures intended to prevent market foreclosure.

3. The Commission shall, by 3 March 2013, submit, as part of the general review, to the European Parliament and the Council, a detailed specific report outlining the extent to which the unbun? dling requirements under Chapter IV have been successful in ensuring full and effective independence of transmission system operators, using effective and efficient unbundling as a benchmark.

4. For the purpose of its assessment under paragraph 3, the Commission shall take into account, in particular, the following criteria: fair and non-discriminatory network access, effective regulation, the development of the network to meet market needs, undistorted incentives to invest, the development of interconnec? tion infrastructure, effective competition in the energy markets of the Community and the security of supply situation in the Community.

5. Where appropriate, and in particular in the event that the detailed specific report referred to in paragraph 3 determines that the conditions referred to in paragraph 4 have not been guaran? teed in practice, the Commission shall submit proposals to the European Parliament and the Council to ensure fully effective independence of transmission system operators by 3 March 2014.

6. The Commission shall, no later than 1 January 2006, for? ward to the European Parliament and Council, a detailed report outlining progress in creating the internal market in natural gas. That report shall, in particular, consider:

— existence of non-discriminatory network access,

— effective regulation,

— the development of interconnection infrastructure, the con? ditions of transit, and the security of supply situation in the Community,

— the extent to which the full benefits of the opening of the market are accruing to small enterprises and household cus? tomers, notably with respect to public service standards,

— the extent to which markets are in practice open to effective competition, including aspects of market dominance, mar? ket concentration and predatory or anti-competitive behaviour,

— the extent to which customers are actually switching suppli?
ers and renegotiating tariffs,

— price developments, including supply prices, in relation to the degree of the opening of markets,

— whether effective and non-discriminatory third-party access to gas storage exists when technically and/or economically necessary for providing efficient access to the system,

— the experience gained in the application of this Directive as far as the effective independence of system operators in ver? tically integrated undertakings is concerned and whether other measures in addition to functional independence and separation of accounts have been developed which have effects equivalent to legal unbundling.

Where appropriate, the Commission shall submit proposals to the European Parliament and the Council, in particular to guarantee high public service standards.

Where appropriate, the Commission shall submit proposals to the European Parliament and the Council, in particular to ensure full and effective independence of distribution system operators before 1 July 2007. Where necessary, those proposals shall, in conformity with competition law, also concern measures to address issues of market dominance, market concentration and predatory or anti-competitive behaviour.