MEPs involved in the different proposals under discussion told journalists today (19 February) that the atmosphere was "constructive", in marked contrast to previous meetings.
"I think [the Council] got the message that we were unhappy. The Czech Presidency has responded by moving a little on the issue of unbundling and suggested some changes to the common position," said Socialist MEP Eluned Morgan (UK), the Parliament's rapporteur on the electricity internal market.
Morgan said MEPs are worried that the amendments represent a Czech government position rather than the views of the Council as a whole. "We expect the Council to back up the efforts of the presidency," she said.
The MEP praised the Czechs for taking a "brave stance". "This has allowed us to continue with the negotiations," she said, revealing that the Parliament delegation would have been prepared to walk out of the talks had there been no movement (EurActiv 12/02/09).
Nevertheless, Czech Presidency sources said the proposed changes are only minor. No "substantial change" to the co-legislators' position is to be expected, as this would be rejected by the member states, they said.
Separation of energy companies' generation and transmission assets ('ownership unbundling') remains the biggest stumbling block, with the Parliament insisting on full unbundling for electricity and a third option, involving a strong independent transmission operator, for gas. But the Council, under pressure from France, maintains that the third option should apply to both gas and electricity.
The Council made progress on "cooling-off periods" for energy company executives, Morgan said. The Council originally suggested that directors should have a six-month break when moving from one part of a vertically-integrated company to another, and that top managers should have a break of around three years. But Morgan said the Council is now willing to be flexible.
MEPs were also pleased with progress made in talks on the future powers and duties of national regulatory authorities, Morgan said.
Bulgarian Socialist MEP Atanas Paparizov, the Parliament's rapporteur on conditions for access to the natural gas transmission network, expressed optimism that the Council's position on a ten-year investment plan would change. The Parliament wants to make the plan obligatory, while the Council and the Commission are both in favour of a voluntary plan.
"After our discussions at the last meeting and yesterday, it was confirmed that the plan would become some type of a benchmark and that the national regulators who analyse the plans of each company may make recommendations to them if they are not implementing the ten-year investment plan as adopted," Paparizov stated.
The EU's co-legislators are pressed for time if they want to close the deal before the end of the current parliamentary session. Both MEPs and the Czech Presidency nevertheless declared that they had every confidence that the task could be completed.
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