On the Commission delegated regulation of 28 November 2023 amending Regulation (EU) No 2022/869 of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards the Union list of projects of common interest and projects of mutual interest

Key points

1. Parliament objects to the Commission delegated regulation of 28 November 2023 amending Regulation (EU) 2022/869 on the Union list of projects of common interest and projects of mutual interest.¶¶
2. It instructs its President to notify the Commission that the delegated regulation cannot enter into force.¶
3. It calls on the Commission to submit a new delegated act that avoids the construction of any new direct and indirect fossil fuel infrastructure that might fund corruption and war, while ensuring compatibility with the Paris Agreement.¶
4. It recalls that the Paris Agreement commits Parties to holding the global average temperature increase to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels and pursuing efforts to limit it to 1.5°C.¶
5. It notes that fossil fuel transport infrastructure is designed to last at least 40 to 50 years and that projects on the 1st Union PCI/PMI list perpetuate a fossil fuel lock-in incompatible with the Paris Agreement.¶
6. It states that 96% of global hydrogen production is from fossil fuels and only around 4% comes from electrolysis, and that the 1st PCI/PMI list contains 65 hydrogen and 17 electrolyser projects.¶
7. It cites ACER's opinion No 09/2023 of 29 September 2023, in which ACER said it was unable to assess the consistent application of the TEN-E Regulation criteria and the cost-benefit analysis to all candidate projects and recalled the importance of avoiding possible overinvestments.¶
8. It notes that the 1st PCI/PMI draft list contains 14 CO2 network projects and that, according to ESABCC, CCU/CCS are less efficient or have higher sustainability risks than other mitigation pathways.¶
9. It states that the 1st PCI/PMI list includes the Melita TransGas Pipeline between Malta and Italy, operated by ElectroGas, whose ultimate beneficial owners include Yorgen Fenech, accused of complicity in the assassination of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia.¶
10. It notes that ElectroGas is contractually eligible for around EUR 85 million in compensation if the Melita TransGas pipeline is commissioned, and that the pipeline is estimated to cost EUR 400 million.
11. It states that the EastMed Pipeline bears a high risk of reigniting tensions and military confrontation in the Eastern Mediterranean and that total annual GHG emissions from fossil gas supplied through it would amount to 27.7 million tonnes CO2 equivalent annually.¶¶
12. It recalls that Parliament's resolution on the EU's response to the increase in energy prices noted that renewable energy and energy efficiency are imperative to guaranteeing lower energy prices, security of supply and strategic autonomy.¶