1. This Regulation establishes twelve Regional Groups ('Groups') as set out in Annex III.1. The membership of each Group shall be based on each priority corridor and area and their respective geographical coverage as set out in Annex I. Decision-making powers in the Groups shall be restricted to Member States and the Commission, who shall, for those purposes, be referred to as the decision-making body of the Groups.
2. Each Group shall adopt its own rules of procedure, having regard to the provisions set out in Annex III.
3. The decision-making body of each Group shall adopt a regional list of proposed projects of common interest drawn up according to the process set out in Annex III.2, according to the contribution of each project to implementing the energy infrastructure priority corridors and areas and according to their fulfilment of the criteria set out in Article 4.
When a Group draws up its regional list:
(a)
each individual proposal for a project of common interest shall require the approval of the Member States, to whose territory the project relates; if a Member State decides not to give its approval, it shall present its substantiated reasons for doing so to the Group concerned;
(b)
it shall take into account advice from the Commission that is aimed at having a manageable total number of projects of common interest.
4. The Commission shall be empowered to adopt delegated acts in accordance with Article 16 that establish the Union list of projects of common interest ('Union list'), subject to the second paragraph of Article 172 of the TFEU. The Union list shall take the form of an annex to this Regulation.
In exercising its power, the Commission shall ensure that the Union list is established every two years, on the basis of the regional lists adopted by the decision-making bodies of the Groups as established in Annex III.1(2), following the procedure set out in paragraph 3 of this Article.
The first Union list shall be adopted by 30 September 2013.
5. The Commission shall, when adopting the Union list on the basis of the regional lists:
(a)
ensure that only those projects that fulfil the criteria referred to in Article 4 are included;
(b)
ensure cross-regional consistency, taking into account the opinion of the Agency as referred to in Annex III.2(12);
(c)
take into account any opinions of Member States as referred to in Annex III.2(9); and
(d)
aim for a manageable total number of projects of common interest on the Union list.
6. Projects of common interest included on the Union list pursuant to paragraph 4 of this Article shall become an integral part of the relevant regional investment plans under Article 12 of Regulations (EC) No 714/2009 and (EC) No 715/2009 and of the relevant national 10-year network development plans under Article 22 of Directives 2009/72/EC and 2009/73/EC and other national infrastructure plans concerned, as appropriate. Those projects shall be conferred the highest possible priority within each of those plans.