EU Rejects Objection to PCI List

The European Parliament’s energy committee on January 22 voted to reject an objection to the EU’s latest proposals for projects of common interest (PCIs).

In November the European Commission (EC) published its fourth list of PCIs – priority infrastructure investments that are eligible for grants from its €5.35bn ($5.9bn) Connecting Europe Facility. However, Green MEP Marie Toussaint filed an objection, calling for the list to be rejected because it contained 32 gas projects. In contrast, the EC’s previous list released two years earlier included 53 gas developments.

The parliamentary committee voted against the objection by 54 votes to 17, with two members abstaining. The European Parliament could still block the list when it meets next month in Strasbourg, but it rarely overturns votes by its committees.

Pressure is mounting on EU authorities to drop support for fossil fuels. The European Investment Bank (EIB), which also provides loans to PCIs, recently pledged to halt all financing for unabated fossil fuel projects by the end of 2021.

The latest PCI list comprises five LNG import terminals, five gas storage sites and major pipeline projects such as the Interconnector Greece-Bulgaria, the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline and the EastMed pipeline. But only one project was included for the first time: an LNG import terminal in Gdansk, Poland.