Transparency of gas and electricity prices charged to industrial end-users. Recast

PURPOSE: to recast the Directive concerning a Community procedure to improve the transparency of gas and electricity prices charged to industrial end-users (adaptation to the new regulatory procedure with scrutiny).

LEGISLATIVE ACT: Directive 2008/92/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council concerning a Community procedure to improve the transparency of gas and electricity prices charged to industrial end-users (recast).

CONTENT: having reached agreement with the Parliament at first reading, the Directive recasts and adapts the legislation in force (Directive 90/377/EEC) to the new regulatory procedure with scrutiny (comitology), introduced by Decision 2006/512/EC and intended for use with measures of general scope designed to amend non-essential elements of a basic instrument adopted in accordance with the co-decision procedure. All the modifications are of a technical nature and aim to make Community law more readable.

The current Directive provides that Member States should take the steps necessary to ensure that undertakings which supply gas or electricity to industrial end-users communicate to the Statistical Office of the European Communities (EUROSTAT): (i) the prices and terms of sale of gas and electricity to industrial end-users; (ii) the price systems in use; (iii) and the breakdown of consumers and the corresponding volumes by category of consumption.

One a year, the Commission shall submit to the European Parliament, the Council and the European Economic and Social Committee a summary report on the implementation of the Directive.

ENTRY INTO FORCE: 27/11/2008.