Internal market for electricity

‘EU Legislation in Progress’ briefings aim to provide Members of the European Parliament with systematic and automatic analysis on all substantial proposals for EU legislation at every stage of the legislative procedure. Each contains an account of the purpose, content and legal aspects of the legislation proposed, in particular analysing what the legislation would change, as well as any previous legislation and the background. An overview of stakeholders’ views is also provided, as well as the opinions of national parliaments and the two advisory committees.

They are all made publicly available for stakeholders and the public.

The briefings are continuously updated as they pass through the policy making process and the source url hyperlink above should take you to the latest available version.On 30 November 2016, the European Commission presented a legislative proposal for a regulation on the internal market for electricity, as part of a comprehensive legislative package on the energy union.

The proposed regulation was aimed at making the electricity market fit for more flexibility, decarbonisation and innovation, by providing for undistorted market signals. It set out rules for electricity trading within different time frames and clarifies the responsibilities of the market actors. It defined principles for assessing capacity needs at regional and European level and proposed design principles for market-based capacity mechanisms with cross-border participation. It introduced regional operational centres for handling-system operation and a European entity for distribution system operators.

The Council of the European Union adopted its general approach in December 2017. In the European Parliament, the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE) adopted its report in February 2018.

Next steps expected: Completion of trilogue negotiations.

Author: Gregor Erbach

NB: This proposal is linked but separate to a Proposal for a Directive ... on common rules for the internal market in electricity (recast)(COM (2016)864) also presented by the European Commission on the 30 November 2016

• Primary Source

EP: EPRS: Briefing: EU Legislation in Progress http://epthinktank.eu/eu-legislation-in-progress/

European Commission: Press Release, IP/16/4009 (30.11.16): Adoption of the 'Clean Energy for All Europeans' package http://www.europeansources.info/record/adoption-of-the-clean-energy-for-all-europeans-package/

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