Article 1 Subject matter and scope

establishes non-discriminatory rules for access conditions to natural gas and hydrogen systems taking into account the special characteristics of national and regional markets, with a view to ensuring the proper functioning of the internal markets for natural gas and hydrogen and to contributing to the flexibility of the energy system; and

facilitates the emergence and operation of properly functioning and transparent markets for natural gas and hydrogen with a high level of security of supply and provides mechanisms by which to harmonise the network access rules for cross-border exchanges in natural gas and hydrogen.

The objectives referred to in the first paragraph shall include:

the setting of harmonised principles for tariffs, or the methodologies for underlying the calculation of tariffs, for access to the natural gas network excluding natural gas storage facilities,

the establishment of third-party access services and harmonised principles for capacity-allocation and congestion-management,

the establishment of transparency requirements, balancing rules and imbalance charges, and the facilitation of capacity trading.

This Regulation, with the exception of Article 34(5) thereof, shall apply only to the natural gas storage facilities and hydrogen storage facilities referred to in Article 33(3) or (4) or Article 37 of Directive (EU) 2024/1788.

The Member States may establish an entity or body set up in accordance with Directive (EU) 2024/1788, for the purpose of carrying out one or more functions typically attributed to the transmission system operator or hydrogen transmission network operator, which shall be subject to the requirements of this Regulation. That entity or body shall be subject to certification in accordance with Article 14 of this Regulation and shall be subject to designation pursuant to Article 71 of Directive (EU) 2024/1788.