Source: European Parliament
The Commission supports Member States to ensure security of energy supply in the Union. According to Article 194 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, Member States have the full right to determine the conditions for exploiting their energy resources, their choice between different energy sources and the general structure of their energy supply, while adopting measures in view of the commitment for the EU to become climate-neutral by 2050[1].
Regarding the exploitation of hydrocarbons, the EU legal framework is based on Directive 94/22/EC (Hydrocarbons Directive)[2] which lays down common rules for the prospection, exploration and production of hydrocarbons resources located on its territory. It applies to both onshore and offshore fields.
The directive underlines the sovereign rights of the Member States over hydrocarbon resources within their territories, e.g. determine the geographical areas and authorise entities to exercise those rights. The Commission can intervene only in cases where the directive is not correctly implemented.