Traduction de «demand note » (Anglais → Français) :

Notes that for decades before the crisis, many European countries were experiencing low economic growth and high unemployment owing to a lack of capacity in some Member States to reform their economies towards a knowledge-driven economy and to restore their competitiveness on the international markets, as well as to low domestic demand; notes that Europe needs more transparent and efficient financial markets and higher economic growth that is conducive to high-quality employment and social inclusion;

Notes that many of the best and most competitive locations for RES in the EU are at a considerable distance from the centres of energy consumption, which makes the optimum use of such locations contingent on the development of transmission and distribution systems and reinforcement of cross-border interconnections; notes also the advantages of decentralised renewable energy supply close to consumption centres; stresses that this can lead to cost reductions, reduce the need for grid extension and avoid congestions when adequate infrastructure is in place; points out that the Commission should facilitate the development of adequate modelling tools to define the optimal mix of d ...[+++]istant, large scale generation plants and distribution level installations; stresses the potential of an integrated approach for the energy system that would cover both heat and electricity demand and supply; notes also the potential of local RES production such as micro generation or cooperatives by citizens jointly investing in the production and supply of renewable energy, such as geo-thermal heating and solar power, as mentioned in the Commission Communication;

Notes that, in order to guarantee supply security, the development of RES with variable feed-in will necessitate a flexible balancing of fluctuations and a flexible back-up through an integrated and interconnected European electricity grid that allows cross-border trading, demand response systems, energy storage and flexible power plants; calls on the Commission to assess whether there is a capacity issue in the EU and to determine the amount of firm capacity that can be provided by variable RES in an integrated EU power system, as well as its potential impact on generation ...[+++]adequacy; agrees with Commission’s analysis that the development of reserve capacity mechanisms entails substantial costs and may distort price signals; notes that there is an increasing need for a stable policy framework to provide economic guarantees concerning the availability of these reserves as well as for system and balancing services; rejects the concept of competition for subsidies between energy sources and calls for an energy market design tailored to the Union’s long-term energy and climate policy objectives, which makes it possible to integrate RES technologies into the internal energy market, but acknowledges that state aid has historically been necessary in the development of all energy sources;

Notes that high levels of unemployment carry not just social costs but also high economic costs in that the unemployed cannot contribute much to domestic demand and pay fewer taxes and social security contributions; notes that this increases the burden on those working, in the form of higher taxes, and on future generations through a higher debt burden;

3. Notes that much of the recent increase in the price of oil comes from a number of factors ranging from increased demand, particularly in China, India and the fast-growing economies of Asia, to the depreciation of the US dollar, the situation in the Middle East and the failure of refining capacity to keep up with increased demand; notes that it is unlikely that prices will fall significantly in the near future, and that indeed they may continue to rise, and thus the present situation is one to which everyone must adapt;

The 2004 spring European Council (Brussels, 25-26 March 2004) took up these demands, noting with satisfaction that the Commission had undertaken to improve further the integrated impact assessment process in collaboration with the Council and the European Parliament in the context of the inter-institutional agreement on better law-making, by placing special emphasis on strengthening the competitiveness aspect and, in cooperation with the Council, devising a method for measuring the administrative burden on business.