What goes on in Poland on the 5th of March.
Woźniak: There was nothing more to be done with the gas directive. Baltic Pipe is adapted to it
The CEO of PGNiG Piotr Woźniak in an interview with journalists referred to the revision of the gas directive to regulate the status of Nord Stream 2 and the Baltic Pipe project.
– I am after a conversation with prof. Jerzy Buzek (chairman of the Committee of Industry, Research and Energy of the European Parliament), who admitted that more could not be achieved in this case – said Piotr Woźniak. He noted that the Romanian Presidency was already the fourth to deal with this issue.
The gas directive was launched as a result of an agreement between Germany and France in the Council of the European Union. The European Parliament was ready from April last year to start negotiations with the member countries on the final shape of the directive. The Commission has long expressed the will to regulate this issue at European level and that the third energy package should be complied with and deal with gas pipelines that connect the internal EU market with third countries’ transmission systems. The original draft amendment to the gas directive was authored by the European Commission.
He assessed that the gas directive should be adopted before the end of the European Parliament’s term. The mechanism, to put it simple, is that its „guardian” will be the member state where the given gas pipeline ends. – We expect that Gazprom will immediately ask the German regulator (Bundesnetzagentur) to release from the access requirements for a third party, to separate the role of the gas supplier and the operator of the gas pipeline (so-called unbundling) and other burdensome rules (eg transparent tariffs) – he said. – It is not known whether we will deal with the reliable position of the German regulator or not. Experience to date suggests that it probably does. However, from what Prof. Buzek shows that the European Commission can enter into action at any time and supervise the matter. It is a big challenge for us. We will closely monitor the Commission’s activity in this matter – he added.
Asked about the connection between the Polish-Danish Baltic Pipe gas pipeline project and the gas directive, he said that the project is very carefully adapted to the principles of the third energy package, and above all network codes. – The Open Season procedure was held, during which everyone could report their interest in gas transport through this gas pipeline, the tariff rules are transparent, non-discriminatory and objective, the TPA rule is maintained and the bandwidth was reserved well in advance – he assured.