Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2002-03-12-Speech-2-063"
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"en.20020312.4.2-063"2
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"Mr President, the Commission's proposals for fully liberalising the internal market in electricity and natural gas in the Member States of the European Union are, in our view, on the right track, which is why the rapporteurs, Mr Turmes, Mr Rapkei and Mr Mombaur, basically endorsed them. The Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs took the same position and unanimously approved my opinion and my amendments, almost all of which were included by the rapporteurs in their reports, for which I thank them.
The prevailing view, I think, is that the liberalisation of the internal market in electricity and natural gas is: one, way behind schedule and is being systematically obstructed by monopoly interests on the part of the private sector, the trades union and the national governments, and not just in France; two, that there are huge differences from one country to another. For example, Great Britain has fully liberalised, while France is doing exactly the opposite and the same applies, unfortunately, to my own country; three, as a result of the foregoing, there are serious disruptions in the working of the internal market, competition is being distorted and, consequently, prices are being squeezed at the expense of competitiveness both in the energy production sector and between European companies and in the consumer sector and, four, this delay is hampering cross-border transactions on these markets. There is no single market, nor do I foresee one in the immediate future.
The Lisbon objectives of a dynamic and competitive European Union with full employment depend on a competitive internal market in electricity and natural gas. And the proposed independent authorities and the abolition of state intervention, which uses pricing policy as a way of exercising social policy will help here somewhat. Instead of prices which undercut production costs and block competition, it is better to find other ways of exercising social policy, for example by reducing taxes. Finally, any delay in opening up these markets will deter private companies and foreign investment in the energy sector and in the European Union in general and will not therefore increase employment, which is supposed to be the ultimate objective."@en1
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