The European Parliament,

- having regard to Rule 121 of its Rules of Procedure,

- having regard to Articles 100a and 130r to 130t of the EEC Treaty,

- having regard to Chapter III of the Euratom Treaty,

- having regard to Council resolution 86/C 241/01 concerning new Community energy policy objectives for 1995OJ No. C 241, 25.9.1986,

- having regard to Council recommendation 88/611/EEC of 8 November 1988 to promote cooperation between public utilities and auto-producers of electricityOJ No. L 335, 7.12.1988,

- having regard to the Council conclusions of 21 May and 29 October 1990 on energy and the environment,

- having regard to its resolution of 26 May 1989 on the internal energy marketOJ No. C 158, 26.6.1989, p. 514,

- having regard to the communication from the Commission to the Council on energy and the environmentCOM(89) 0369,

- having regard to the reporot of the Committee on Energy, Research and Technology (A3-0125/91),

A. whereas energy is the one of the principal factors in the problem of the environment,

B. whereas world population is expected to double by the year 2010 such that demand for energy must necessarily grow overall, particularly in the third world and developing countries,

C. whereas energy is also a determining factor in social progress,

D. recalling the 1987 recommendation of the United Nations Commission on the Environment and Development (Brundtland report), which called on the industrialized countries to adopt a sustainable development objective,

E. whereas this recommendation has been explicitly endorsed at a series of meetings of European Heads of State and by the European Council of 21 May 1990,

F .having regard to the potentially serious consequences of the intensification of the greenhouse effect, largely due to the use of fossil fuels, and to the urgent need to find solutions,

G. whereas the contribution made by the Community Member States to pollution through gas emissions varies according to the number of inhabitants and their different levels of industrialization; whereas it is therefore impossible to make the less-developed Community countries responsible for limiting CO2 emissions and implementing fiscal measures to the same extent, since this would restrict their growth and competitiveness;

H. whereas the world is facing a serious problem which is being tackled differently, from the point of view of anti-pollution technology and economic capacity, by most of the industrialized countries, including the EEC Member States, and the developing countries,

I. having regard to the contribution made by the burning of fossil fuels to atmospheric pollution, to the damage to woodlands caused by acid rain, to the destruction of the forests which are often the only source of energy production in many developing countries, and to urban pollution, linked to oil used in transport,

J. whereas to enable nuclear risks to be minimized further, it will be necessary to make use of increasingly more advanced nuclear waste disposal technologies and options,

K. having regard to the limited third party liability of nuclear power station operators,

L. aware of the need to stabilize emissions of CO2 and other greenhouse gases at 1990 levels in the short term and to reduce them appreciably in the long term,

M. fully aware that an immediate abandonment of nuclear energy would in no way help reduce CO2 emissions, and that the mass replacement of conventional power stations by nuclear power stations is neither economically sensible nor desirable,

N. whereas, furthermore, a policy of replacing fossil fuels by nuclear energy in response to the major challenge posed by the problem of the greenhouse effect is inadequate,

O. whereas an appreciable reduction in emissions of CO2 and other greenhouse gases could already be achieved worldwide if more modern combustion technologies were to be introduced,

P. whereas the various kinds of ecological imbalances now arising are interrelated, (greenhouse effect, death of lakes and woodlands, depletion of the stratospheric ozone layer),

Q. whereas certain renewable energies might afford greater opportunities for exploitation if the necessary capital outlay and maintenance costs were reduced further,

R. whereas those on low incomes are hardest hit by any energy tax levied at the expense of the user and such taxes should therefore be used only as an exceptional measure,

S. considering that decentralization of energy production may be, in certain cases, a useful element in energy conservation,

T. whereas the visual and noise impact of certain renewable energies may only prove acceptable where they are applied on a small scale; and whereas there are land-use implications for large-scale use,

U. whereas the decentralization of energy production is an essential factor in any strategy on energy management,

V. whereas any containment of energy demand through rational energy use and conservation is desirable in limiting disturbance to the environment of all human activities,

W. whereas some Community countries which as yet consume relatively little energy will need to increase consumption as they develop, and therefore will need to formulate strategies and objectives which, without affecting the process of development, enable them to improve the energy efficiency of their economic activities,

X. whereas over 50% of SO2 emissions come from the use of solid fuel, particularly in electricity generation,

Y. whereas almost 80% of NOx emissions emanate from the use of oil in the transport sector,

Z. whereas almost 50% of CO2 emissions come from the use of oil and just over 30% from the use of solid fuels,

AA. whereas coal contributes to 40% of electricity generation worldwide and the power stations concerned can be responsible for only around 8% of emissions,

AB. where it is important in strategic terms for the Community to reduce its dependence on imported oil,

AC. whereas the Community has failed to maintain its improvement in eonergy intensity and whereas the application of the results of the demonstration programmes in the rational use of energy and in the energy sector generally, have been disappointing,

1.Affirms the overriding importance of energy policy in the development of society and calls on the Commission for proposals to develop Community energy policy in relation to future supplies with regard to security and price;

2. Declares that the development of Community energy policy must be related to the energy aspirations of underdeveloped and developing countries;

3. Considers it urgently necessary to increase the area of woodlands worldwide to serve as an agent to reabsorb greenhouse gases, to achieve which the EC must develop programmes for the protection of woodlands, for reafforestation and forestation in Europe, in particular the arid zones of the Mediterranean, and in other parts of the world;

4 .Insists that the greenhouse effect can only be corrected by world wide agreement on the measures to be taken and consequently Community policy must be determined in conjunction with all major energy-consuming states;

5. Declares that, in the light of the above, the priority of energy policy must be rational energy use, particularly through a decisive energy-saving policy and by limiting losses incurred during conversion and transportation to an absolute minimum;

6. Calls for the use of renewable energy technologies to be promoted both at the level of distribution and of demonstration projects and research and development;

7. Calls on the Commission to give careful study to the technical and financial means of enabling renewable energies to penetrate the market in greater strength;

8. Calls for active programmes and structural changes in each Member State and in all areas designed to improve energy efficiency;

9. Considers that priority should be given in this connection to a voluntary policy to promote public transport, particularly in urban areas, and to promote goods transport by rail rather than by road;

10. Calls for the best available technology to be applied, in accordance with the guiding principles set out above, with a view to minimizing the environmental impact of the use of fossil, fissile and renewable energies;

11. Considers that, because of strict Community and national anti-pollution regulations and the development and application of technology for the clean burning of coal, the contribution of EEC power stations to the total volume of emissions is relatively small, and so progress even more quickly would be made if the EEC facilitated access to the cleanest technologies through funding and technological cooperation with the countries of Eastern Europe and the developing countries;

12. Calls for the implementation of these guiding principles to involve:

(a) maximum integration of social and economic costs into the production, transport and distribution costs, with repercussions on prices,

(b) harmonization of environmental and safety standards at a high level,

(c) aid for all investment taking into account, as a priority, the criterion of energy saving, aid being proportional to the efficiency and speed of implementation,

(d) energy research and development geared as a priority to renewable and clean technologies, especially for coal;

13. Calls on the Commission to bring forward a report on the comparative risks relating to the production and use of all energy systems;

14. Calls on the Commision to bring forward proposals to apply the results of the energy demonstration programmes with a view to improving the intensity of energy use;

15. Proposes, for this purpose, the harmonization of taxes on energy at the highest rate currently levied in the Community and the introduction of a Community eco-tax on fossil energies, the amount being proportional to carbon and sulphur content and being increased over a period of ten years so as to permit maximum integration of environmental costs into prices; the rate of increase should be adapted to trends in market prices to avoid increasing the tax burden in difficult phases;

16. Considers that, with regard to the possibility of introducing fiscal instruments as a means of reducing emissions, careful consideration should be given to the following aspects :

(a) the negative contributions to the environment made by all energy sources, including renewable and nuclear energies, as well as the whole range of greenhouse gases (including CFCs) and the international implications,

(b) the possible effects of higher energy costs on European competitiveness, e.g. in the steel and transport industries,

(c) the various implications which higher energy costs might have for particular Community countries, either because they use greater or lesser quantities of coal in energy production or because of the impact on the general competitiveness of their undertakings,

(d) the need to make thorough and comprehensive cost-benefit assessments which would provide the basis for the adoption of measures in connection with the greenhouse effect and CO2 emissions,

(e) as regards the application of these instruments, consideration should be given to their relative inflexibility, the difficulties involved in their introduction on the basis of the location of sources of pollution and the quantity of pollution and the repercussions of taxes on product prices;

17. Proposes that part of the revenue from such a tax be redistributed to the Member States according to a scale based on population figures, so that socially disadvantaged groups can be compensated for the rise in energy prices, to finance a reduction in VAT rates on goods and equipment which save energy and use new and renewable energy sources, a second part being paid into a fund to aid the restructuring of the energy sector in third countries, with particular reference to the ACP States and countries of Eastern Europe, a third part being used to increase the resources allocated by the Community to energy management programmes and research and development in respect of new and renewable energy sources;

18. Considers that such taxes are regressive from the point of view of income distribution and that their introduction should therefore be offset through increased progressivity in budgetary expenditure; takes the view, in particular, that any revenue from such taxes should be allocated to budgetary funds aimed at reducing social and regional inequalities, research and development programmes and the investment necessary to protect the environment in the Community, the countries of eastern Europe and developing countries;

19. Calls urgently on the Commission to draw up a proposal affirming and translating into European law the principle, enshrined in Article 130r, of total and unlimited third party liability for any injury caused to persons, property and the environment by operators in the nuclear sector both in connection with the management of fissile materials and radioactive waste and with the risk of accidents;

20. Calls on the Commission to draw up a directive aimed at introducing tariffs which will act as a disincentive to excessive energy consumption;

21. Calls on the Commission for the Council recommendation of 8 November 1988 on promoting cooperation between public utilities and auto-producers of electricity to be transformed into a directive, which should be drawn up with a view not only to removing legal obstacles but also to laying down fair contractual conditions for exchanges of electricity;

22. Recommends the Commission to propose a regulation laying down the obligation to label and provide clear information on all energy-using appliances and/or equipment, promoting the gradual introduction of metals with high magnetic permeability in electrical appliances;

23. Calls on the Commission to draw up a framework directive aimed at ensuring that all equipment that utilizes or transforms energy complies with a minimum level of energy efficiency;

24. Calls for a regulation to be adopted banning the use of heavy fuel oil in combustion plants not fitted out with desulphurization technology within the meaning of Directive 88/609/EECOJ No. L 336, 7.12.1988;

25. Calls for the speedy harmonization at the highest level of standards relating to the various kinds of power station in operation: standards on emissions, the safety of installations and the protection of workers;

26. Requests that, in accordance with Article 31 of the Euratom Treaty, the basic standards relating to protection against ionizing radiations be reviewed in the light of the latest scientific data and the scientific conclusions and recommendations of specialist international bodies such as the International Commission on Radiation Protection (ICRP) and UNSCEAR;

27. Calls for an end to all reprocessing of irradiated nuclear fuels and production of mixed uranium-plutonium fuel on the basis of the principle laid down by the ICRP, which states that 'for any activity involving exposure to radiation it should be shown that the advantages it offers are much greater than the risks and the costs arising', general verification to be carried out by 31 December 1992; this principle should be extended to any activity posing a threat to workers' health (firedamp explosions, silica dust, hydrocarbon vapours, etc.);

28 .Calls on the Commission to evaluate the ecological and health costs resulting from electromagnetic pollution caused by the transmission and distribution of electricity along high-voltage power lines;

29. Proposes that before making any investment in energy production, the applicant should be obliged, in addition to the EIA verification, to make a comparative study of the various possibilities for meeting demand, the final decision being dependent on the criterion of lowest overall cost, including ecological costs (least-cost planning);

30. Calls for the criterion of energy saving to be taken into account in the selection of investments by the European Investment Bank, either in the framework of the structural funds or as part of the various specific regional aid programmes; these could be given a prominent role in the management of policies on energy saving and the use of alternative sources, also through the creation of appropriate regional energy agencies;

31. Invites the International Energy Agency to undertake a technical and economic study of different energy-generating systems in commercial operation throughout the world with the aim of providing electricity undertakings with impartial performance reports;

32. Calls for a substantial increase in the proportion of the R & D budget allocated to renewable energies, in accordance with the positions taken by the European Parliament;

33. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council and Commission and to the governments and parliaments of the Member States.