Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2002-03-12-Speech-2-059"
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"en.20020312.4.2-059"2
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"Mr President, do we want a truly European electricity market offering real competition and high-quality services to European industries and citizens? If we want more from Barcelona than a poor compromise cobbling together 15 national views, then we in the European Parliament need to be more ambitious.
Firstly, we need to develop the market areas which support our citizens and businesses. We must ensure that the cost of electricity is fair and transparent and is not influenced by the status quo and the power of existing utilities. Unfortunately, not all of my colleagues share my vision. Importantly, there are some who wish to reintroduce negotiated access. This option was removed by the Commission to increase market transparency. It was blamed for blocking new entrants to the German market. This is a test case which will establish the direction in which we want to take the new electricity market – forwards to greater transparency, or backwards to the days where national incumbents dominated the market. A fundamental part of a truly transparent European market is ownership unbundling of the transmission system. We must have the full separation of transmission from other parts of the energy network. Without this, cross-sector subsidies and unfair competition will never end; this is an essential part of the reform package.
There can be no fair competition without powerful and independent regulatory bodies. The role and powers of regulatory authorities must be increased and their scope broadened in order to match the growing economic power of large utilities. In Spain and Germany duopolies dominate the market, while in France EDF remains unchallenged on the domestic market. This dominant position can not only influence government policy too greatly, but also prevent new entrants from accessing the market. Electricity release obligations are a powerful and necessary instrument that regulators should have to end this situation.
Furthermore, the economic power of some big companies in Europe is expanding through unfair distortion. E.ON, RWE and EDF are buying up in other countries using money from decommissioning funds in their own countries. London Electricity, PowerGen, Innogy and others have been bought up with this money. If we do not end this situation now, rather than in two or three years, there will be no more competitors in a market in which we want to see a high degree of competition.
We must also support informed choice for our customers. We need labelling. The EU should not fall behind the US, Australia and New Zealand, which have all opened up their markets and linked them to full disclosure of information. Opening up the market must include measures to increase the powers of small consumers. The UK's Energywatch has been extremely effective in bringing down prices for small and large consumers alike.
I will finish with some words to my French colleagues."@en1
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