The extension and rehabilitation of the energy networks is vital, not only for the energy supply of the current European Union which will remain strongly dependent on external resources, in particular for oil and natural gas, but also for the future enlarged Union.

In its Renewable Energy Roadmap and Biofuels Progress Report[22], the Commission therefore proposes to set a binding minimum target for biofuels of 10% of vehicle fuel by 2020 and to ensure that the biofuels used are sustainable in nature, inside and outside the EU.

69. Draws attention to the external dimension of the energy market, the aim of which is to make it easier for all Member States to gain access to diversified energy sources; calls on the Commission, in coordination with the EEAS, to use its foreign policy instruments to promote the rules and standards of the internal energy market in relation to third countries and, especially, within the EU's neighbourhood; urges the Commission to resolve, in bilateral dialogues with relevant third countries, the issue of clear rules on congestion management of cross-border electricity and gas connections and on third-party access to transmission netw ...[+++]orks; strongly urges the Commission to take measures to prevent anti-competitive practices on the part of third-country companies that may lead to restricted competition, higher prices or reduced security of the energy supply; calls on the Commission to ensure, in its relations with external partners, that EU companies are able to compete on equal footing globally; urges the Commission to enhance cooperation with EU neighbouring countries on nuclear safety; calls on the Commission to be transparent about all factors still causing problems with regard to the implementation of the third energy package, and to present clear figures on their impact on consumer prices;

124. Notes that Article 194 of the Lisbon Treaty specifies that the EU is entitled to take measures at European level to ensure security of energy supply; stresses, in this regard, that in order to enhance energy security, and at the same time strengthen the credibility and effectiveness of the CFSP, it is of the utmost importance to reduce energy dependency from such third countries that do not share, or that act against, EU values; believes that diversification of supply sources and transit routes, and increasing reliance on renewables and clean energy sources and transit routes, is urgent and essential for the EU, which ...[+++]is highly dependent on external sources of energy; notes that the main directions for diversification are the Arctic, the Mediterranean basin and the Southern Corridor from Iraq to Central Asia and the Middle East, and calls on the Commission to prioritise such projects; is concerned by the delays encountered in the completion of the Southern Corridor; highlights the need to achieve energy security through energy diversity, and emphasises the potential of a complementary LNG corridor in the east Mediterranean as a flexible source of energy, and as an incentive for increased competition within the EU internal market; believes that the EU should ensure that a current main source of imports – Russia – complies with internal market rules, the regulations under the Third Energy package and the Energy Charter Treaty; notes the great potential for development and interdependence that transcontinental smart grids for renewable energy linking Europe and Africa could offer;