Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2008-06-17-Speech-2-285"
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"en.20080617.38.2-285"2
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".
Thank you for the opportunity to speak, Mr President. Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, dissatisfaction among energy consumers has increased noticeably in recent years as a result of rising prices and a lack of regulatory transparency. It is for precisely this reason that it is so important that the European Parliament will shortly be giving its blessing to a legislative package that will help to ensure that the electricity market functions more effectively. I am convinced that the sharp rise in prices and the increasing helplessness of consumers has largely been due to the inadequate functioning of the market. In many Member States, it is still the case that consumers compete for suppliers rather than the reverse.
In Hungary, for example, market liberalisation at present means higher prices and deteriorating standards of service, thanks to the hotchpotch manner in which market liberalisation is taking place as a result of mistakes by the government. Adoption of the package of reports we are debating today could put an end to this situation. The new legislation may at last enable genuine competition to take place in the energy market, and suppliers may finally find themselves in the position of actually having to compete for the consumers.
In addition, the energy package also creates better conditions for the kind of investment that is absolutely vital for the future of Europe’s energy supply. It will provide a stimulus for energy efficiency and, I believe, also facilitate the spread of renewable energies. Another welcome feature of the proposals is that they reinforce consumer protection provisions, compliance with which is often lacking at present. One of the reasons why this is particularly important now is because runaway energy prices are a major cause of poverty. In my opinion, efforts in the field of energy policy should always be assessed in the light of consumer satisfaction. We are taking an important step towards more effective regulation. The package of proposals will boost competition while at the same time improving security of supply. It is our hope that the adoption of this package will ensure that in future Europe’s energy consumers will not face unreasonable prices as a result of regulatory inadequacies. Thank you very much, Mr President."@en1
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