WRITTEN QUESTION No. 204/99 by Manuela FRUTOS GAMA Protection for small and medium-sized electricity consumers as a consequence of liberalisation in the energy sector
Date: 1999-02-12
Institutions: European Parliament, FRUTOS GAMA
Subjects: Spain, State aid, application of EU law, competition law, consumer protection, electrical energy, liberalisation of the market, national implementing measure, prices policy, small and medium-sized enterprises

3.12.1999

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 348/35

(1999/C 348/042)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0204/99

by Manuela Frutos Gama (PSE) to the Commission

(12 February 1999)

Subject: Protection for small and medium-sized electricity consumers as a consequence of liberalisation in the

energy sector

Does the Commission consider it consistent with the objectives of the Treaty that the outcome of the
Electricity Directive in Spain in the coming decade for SMEs and domestic consumers should be a limit on any
fall in charges to 1 or 2 % agreed between undertakings and the authorities and a fixed 4,5 % increase in
charges to offset costs linked to the transition to competition, regardless of developments in other energy
market parameters?

Answer given by Mr Papoutsis on behalf of the Commission

(12 April 1999)

The liberalisation of the electricity market according to Directive 96/92/EC of the Parliament and the Council
of 19 December 1996 concerning common rules for the internal market in electricity (1) is introduced with a
gradual approach. The share of ‘eligible customer’, i.e. customers which may choose their electricity supplier,
has to represent in the first step at least a Community average of large industrial customers with more than
40 GWh yearly consumption and is successively extended to a larger share of also smaller customers. It is true
that during this gradual opening period the benefit of liberalisation tends to be larger for those consumers
which are already ‘eligible’. However, the Commission expects that through the further extension of the
eligible customer segment also to small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) as well as through eligible
distributors and newly entering electricity traders and suppliers, the liberalisation will become more and more
beneficial also for small consumers.

In this context, the Spanish electricity law fully complies with the market opening schedule of the Directive,
and goes even further, with reductions for smaller customers. As liberalisation progresses, the Commission
hopes that its benefits will also be shared to a greater extent by residential consumers.

On the question of the cost of transition to competition in Spain, the Commission is still examining the case
pursuant to both Article 24 of the Directive (stranded costs) and to the state aids rules under the EC Treaty.
Therefore, for the time being, the Commission can only refer the Honourable Member to the replies it gave to
oral questions H-161/99 by Mr Izquierdo Collado and H-162/99 by Mrs Garcia Arias during question time at
Parliament’s March 1999 post-session.

(1) OJ L 27, 30.11.1992.

(1999/C 348/043)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0205/99

by Manuel Escolá Hernando (ARE) to the Commission

(12 February 1999)

Subject: Funding of restoration schemes in Aragón

The 1997 Commission report on the Cohesion Fund indicates that the Autonomous Community of Aragón
received funding for nine restoration schemes amounting to ECU 29 million.

Can the Commission say what projects benefited, how much funding was allocated to each and what the
current situation is in each case?