Our policy support, again big gaps in policy, is affected because not enough people are actually studying the issue, or looking at the issue from a historical context.

The value of these recommendations is that they are the product of extensive and objective technical analysis – rather than being the outcome of a political compromise.

39. Believes that the proposed Strategic Energy Review (SER) should integrate the work of the proposed Energy Supply Observatory (which should not be an independent body) and that it should analyse security of supply on a regular basis; considers that the SER's remit should involve strategic analysis of the problems confronting the EU in the energy sector, including the external aspects; encourages the Commission to use the SER to develop a formula that enables Member States to analyse the trade-offs between different policy options with regard to the environment, security of supply, competitiveness and job creation and that thus helps ...[+++] to minimise risks; welcomes the Commission's effort to undertake a detailed study of the subsidies and costs of all energy sources, including the internalisation of externalities within the SER, applying the life-cycle and well-to-wheel approach; requests the publication of such a study in order to raise public awareness; proposes that a Europe-wide forward study of supply and demand in the medium and long-term be conducted in order to identify investment needs, especially on the production side, and raise the profile of operators; proposes that a cost-benefit analysis should focus on the contribution of each energy source to the EU's three objectives in the energy field, namely security of supply, competitiveness, and environmental sustainability;

The Commission will carefully review the details of the compromise reached in Congress and its implications for EU companies.

[Translation] Mr. Rahim Jaffer (Edmonton—Strathcona, CPC): Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs swears that she did not know that Liberal organizers had been compromised in the sponsorship of the Corona theatre.

Impact Assessment identifies the likely positive and negative impacts of proposed policy actions, enabling informed political judgements to be made about the proposal and identify trade-offs in achieving competing objectives.