91. Stresses that, as the EU pursues its goal of energy security, one of the priorities is to develop a model of cooperation between the Member States by ensuring the swift completion of the EU internal energy market, including, in particular, the construction of interconnectors and the elimination of cross-border barriers; believes, furthermore, that completing and modernising the EU infrastructure linking the north, south, east and west will enable the EU to make the best use of the comparative advantages of each Member State, and calls for further efficient and sustainable support for decentralised, micro-scale and community-owned energy production and smart energy infrastructure at the distribution level, along with storage and demand ...[+++]response programmes to allow local balancing of supply and demand in all the Member States; stresses the need for further development of macro-regional power markets in the EU, such as the Nord Pool and Central West markets; stresses, therefore, the need for strong coordination between the Member States' policies and for joint action, solidarity and transparency, as national energy policy decisions can affect other Member States; suggests that it would be desirable to determine whether and how the expertise and facilities of the Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators could be put to use in carrying out the above tasks, and how better cooperation between transmission system operators could be ensured;

89. Stresses that, as the EU pursues its goal of energy security, one of the priorities is to develop a model of cooperation between the Member States by ensuring the swift completion of the EU internal energy market, including, in particular, the construction of interconnectors and the elimination of cross-border barriers; believes, furthermore, that completing and modernising the EU infrastructure linking the north, south, east and west will enable the EU to make the best use of the comparative advantages of each Member State, and calls for further efficient and sustainable support for decentralised, micro-scale and community-owned energy production and smart energy infrastructure at the distribution level, along with storage and demand ...[+++]response programmes to allow local balancing of supply and demand in all the Member States; stresses the need for further development of macro-regional power markets in the EU, such as the Nord Pool and Central West markets; stresses, therefore, the need for strong coordination between the Member States' policies and for joint action, solidarity and transparency, as national energy policy decisions can affect other Member States; suggests that it would be desirable to determine whether and how the expertise and facilities of the Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators could be put to use in carrying out the above tasks, and how better cooperation between transmission system operators could be ensured;

43. Stresses that the European Single Market plays a central role as the home market for European industry and that an internal market strategy fostering demand-driven innovation needs to be developed in order to promote the uptake of new technologies, thereby helping to create new markets, business models and industrial sectors; emphasises that this is particularly pertinent when it comes to diffusing RD results in the market; stresses that predictable rules and standards in the internal market – effectively applied in the Member States – helps provide companies with a stable outlook; calls on the Commission and the Member States to complete urgently the single market for goods, energy, telecommunications, transport, green products (as ...[+++]laid out by the Commission in its initiative) and venture capital as well as to guarantee the free movement of researchers, scientific knowledge and technology; points out that failure to complete the internal market is a barrier to growth and calls on the Commission to carry out a study to assess the impact of the crisis on the internal market and address the cost disparities in the EU which can lead to disadvantages for EU companies compared to third-country competitors; warns that the fragmentation of the internal market could lead to distorted competition between Member States within the EU; calls for the EU to pursue closer cooperation in the areas of employment law and tax incentives; urges the Commission to promote the use of the ‘Made in Europe’ brand to strengthen the single market and products of European origin;

21. Considers that, alongside consistent deployment of ICT, it is essential for the development of the Digital Single Market to promote ICT research excellence and foster public and private investment in high-risk, collaborative ICT research and innovation; stresses that Europe should be at the cutting edge in the development of internet technologies and standards; proposes that under the upcoming financial perspective and the Horizon 2020 programme there should be a substantial increase in the EU’s ICT research budget;

33. Considers that, alongside consistent deployment of ICT, it is essential for the development of the Digital Single Market to promote ICT research excellence and foster public and private investment in high-risk, collaborative ICT research and innovation; stresses that Europe should be at the leading edge in the development of internet technologies and standards; proposes that the upcoming financial perspectives and the Horizon 2020 programme substantially increase the EU’s ICT research budget;

1. Payments made between 16 October and 31 December 2006 under the current programming period shall be eligible under the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) pursuant to Article 39(1)(c) of Council Regulation (EC) No 1290/2005 only if they are made after the finalisation of payments authorised in accordance with the second sentence of Article 39(1)(a) of that Regulation.