1.

The Commission shall monitor and review the application of this Directive and submit an overall progress report to the European Parliament and the Council for the first time by 31 December 2004, and thereafter on an annual basis. The progress report shall cover at least: the experience gained and progress made in creating a complete and fully operational internal market in natural gas and the obstacles that remain in this respect including aspects of market dominance, concentration in the market, predatory or anti-competitive behaviour; the derogations granted under this Directive, including implementation of the derogation provided for in Article 26(4) with a view to a possible revision of the threshold; the extent to which the unbundling and tarification requirements contained in this Directive have been successful in ensuring fair and non-discriminatory access to the Community’s gas system and equivalent levels of competition, as well as the economic, environmental and social consequences of the opening of the gas market for customers; an examination of issues relating to system capacity levels and security of supply of natural gas in the Community, and in particular the existing and projected balance between demand and supply, taking into account the physical capacity for exchanges between areas and the development of storage (including the question of the proportionality of market regulation in that field); special attention will be given to the measures taken in Member States to cover peak demand and to deal with shortfalls of one or more suppliers; a general assessment of the progress achieved with regard to bilateral relations with third countries which produce and export or transport natural gas, including progress in market integration, trade and access to the networks of such third countries; the need for possible harmonisation requirements which are not linked to the provisions of this Directive. Where appropriate, the progress report may include recommendations and measures to counteract the negative effects of market dominance and market concentration. In the report, the Commission, in consultation with the ENTSO for Gas, may also consider the feasibility of the creation, by transmission system operators, of a single European transmission system operator.

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Source: EUR-Lex (Cellar) · retrieved 2026-10-28 · Text as adopted (Official Journal); later amendments are not incorporated in this text.