Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2016/172 of 24 November 2015 supplementing Regulation (EU) No 691/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards specification of the energy products (Text with EEA relevance)

THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION,

Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,

Having regard to Regulation (EU) No 691/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 6 July 2011 on European environmental economic accounts (1), and in particular Article 3(4) thereof,

Whereas:

(1) Regulation (EU) No 691/2011 established a modular structure for environmental economic accounts, including a module for physical energy flow accounts which is set out in Annex VI thereto.

(2) Establishing a list of energy products for the purposes of Regulation (EU) No 691/2011 on European environmental economic accounts is an essential element to determine the scope of the physical energy flow accounts, to ensure comparability of statistical data across the Member States and to ensure the internal consistency (balancing) of the physical energy flow accounts.

(3) Annex B to Regulation (EC) No 1099/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council (2) sets out a list of energy products for energy statistics. Based on this list, it is necessary to specify the energy products for the purposes of energy accounts. Energy accounts aim at analysing the interactions between the environment and human action with a view to evaluate the whole environment-economy-environment cycle created by human activity. Energy accounts should, therefore, include notably the residuals arising from the final use of energy products as well as both the raw natural and the processed products.

(4) A definition for the energy products not covered in Annex B to Regulation (EC) No 1099/2008 should be based on international economic environmental accounts standards, in order to ensure cost-efficiency and avoid unnecessary burden on respondents,

HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:

Article 1

For the purposes of Section 3 of Annex VI to Regulation (EU) No 691/2011 Member States shall produce the physical energy flow accounts with the energy products listed in the Annex to this Regulation.

Article 2

This Regulation shall enter into force on the twentieth day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.

This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States.

Done at Brussels, 24 November 2015.

For the Commission The President Jean-Claude JUNCKER

(1) OJ L 192, 22.7.2011, p. 1.

(2) Regulation (EC) No 1099/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22 October 2008 on energy statistics (OJ L 304, 14.11.2008, p. 1).