The issue of the lack of any real competition in the European energy market has become very topical at the present time, as shown by a preliminary Report of the European Commission which can be downloaded from the website: http://europa.eu.int/comm/competition/antitrust/others/sector_inquiries/energy Presenting the document, European Commissioner for competition Neelie Kroes underlined the need for Europe to “remedy the serious dysfunctions registered in the energy market in order to defend the interests of the European industry and consumers and help Europe become more competitive”. Five “major sectors of dysfunction of the electricity and gas markets” emerge from the Commission’s report: the still high level of concentration; the absence of any real choice for the consumer; the lack of significant cross-border competition; the lack of transparency; and the too often arbitrary character in the determination of prices. The proposals contained in the Report will be further developed in the Green Paper on energy policy, expected to appear later this month.
