1. The adoption of the Union list shall establish, for the purposes of any decisions issued in the permit granting process, the necessity of these projects from an energy policy perspective, without prejudice to the exact location, routing or technology of the project.
2. For the purpose of ensuring efficient administrative processing of the application files related to projects of common interest, project promoters and all authorities concerned shall ensure that the most rapid treatment legally possible is given to these files.
3. Where such status exists in national law, projects of common interest shall be allocated the status of the highest national significance possible and be treated as such in permit granting processes - and if national law so provides, in spatial planning - including those relating to environmental assessments, in the manner such treatment is provided for in national law applicable to the corresponding type of energy infrastructure.
4. By 16 August 2013, the Commission shall issue non-binding guidance to support Member States in defining adequate legislative and non-legislative measures to streamline the environmental assessment procedures and to ensure the coherent application of environmental assessment procedures required under Union law for projects of common interest.
5. Member States shall assess, taking due account of the guidance referred to in paragraph 4, which measures to streamline the environmental assessment procedures and to ensure their coherent application are possible, and shall inform the Commission of the result.
6. By nine months from the date of issue of the guidance referred to in paragraph 4, Member States shall take the non-legislative measures that they have identified under paragraph 5.
7. By 24 months from the date of issue of the guidance referred to in paragraph 4, Member States shall take the legislative measures that they have identified under paragraph 5. These measures shall be without prejudice to obligations resulting from Union law.
8. With regard to the environmental impacts addressed in Article 6(4) of Directive 92/43/EEC and Article 4(7) of Directive 2000/60/EC, projects of common interest shall be considered as being of public interest from an energy policy perspective, and may be considered as being of overriding public interest, provided that all the conditions set out in these Directives are fulfilled.
Should the opinion of the Commission be required in accordance with Directive 92/43/EEC, the Commission and the competent authority referred to in Article 9 of this Regulation shall ensure that the decision with regard to the overriding public interest of a project is taken within the time limit pursuant to Article 10(1) of this Regulation.