Article 7Reporting

1.

Member States shall ensure that the report referred to in Article 4 of Directive 2003/54/EC covers the overall adequacy of the electricity system to supply current and projected demands for electricity, comprising:

(a)

operational network security;

(b)

the projected balance of supply and demand for the next five-year period;

(c)

the prospects for security of electricity supply for the period between five and 15 years from the date of the report;

and

(d)

the investment intentions, for the next five or more calendar years, of transmission system operators and those of any other party of which they are aware, as regards the provision of cross-border interconnection capacity.

2.

Member States or the competent authorities shall prepare the report in close cooperation with transmission system operators. Transmission system operators shall, if appropriate, consult with neighbouring transmission system operators.

3.

The section of the report relating to interconnection investment intentions, referred to in paragraph 1(d), shall take account of:

(a)

the principles of congestion management, as set out in Regulation (EC) No 1228/2003;

(b)

existing and planned transmission lines;

(c)

expected patterns of generation, supply, cross-border exchanges and consumption, allowing for demand management measures,

and

(d)

regional, national and European sustainable development objectives, including those projects forming part of the Axes for priority projects set out in Annex I to Decision No 1229/2003/EC.

Member States shall ensure that transmission system operators provide information on their investment intentions or those of any other party of which they are aware as regards the provision of cross-border interconnection capacity.

Member States may also require transmission system operators to provide information on investments related to the building of internal lines that materially affect the provision of cross-border interconnection.

4.

Member States or the competent authorities shall ensure that the necessary means for access to the relevant data are facilitated to the transmission system operators and/or to the competent authorities where relevant in the development of this task.

The non-disclosure of confidential information shall be ensured.

5.

On the basis of the information referred to in paragraph 1(d), received from the competent authorities, the Commission shall report to the Member States, the competent authorities and the European Regulators Group on Electricity and Gas established by Commission Decision 2003/796/EC8 on the investments planned and their contribution to the objectives set out in Article 1(1).

This report may be combined with the reporting provided for in point (c) of Article 28(1) of Directive 2003/54/EC and shall be published.