Technical measures and political initiatives constitute the policy mix contained in the Communication with which Brussels intends to achieve a real internal energy market, defined as a “strategic means to guarantee fair prices for citizens and businesses”. The Executive’s proposals, in the framework of its programme for European energy policy, are aimed at the achievement of three main objectives: reduction of costs, growth of investments and correct functioning of the mechanism for the trading of greenhouse gas emission rights. If the political objective that the European Council, Commission and Parliament have set themselves is “the creation of an internal energy market open to competition and equipped with effective regulation by January 2009”, it is essential that some measures of a technical nature be adopted immediately: clearer separation between energy production and distribution; simplification and improvement of cross-border trade of electricity through the establishment of independent regulatory authorities; market transparency; and common minimum standards for the security of the network.
