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Splitting up of energy sector goes on

13 June 2008

Splitting up of energy sector goes on

The liberalisation of the energy market is continuing. “Electricity belongs in public ownership, from the generating power station to the home or business,” says SP Euro-MP Kartika Liotard. “We are opposed to the continuing splitting up of the sector.”

The generation of energy and its transport are being decoupled as far as ownership and control are concerned, or will be if it's left to the European Commission.

Kartika Liotard“We have already seen in the case of privatisation of public transport that the Netherlands took the lead, and now we are seeing the same thing again, that we must always be top of the class,” Liotard complained. “The resistance to this splitting up from France and Germany has now had its reward. They are not being forced to chop up their energy market. By handing over the energy market to commercial interests, you make it more difficult to reach climate change targets. You can't expect a firm which makes its profits from selling energy to promote measures to reduce energy consumption.” A number of possible variants of the proposed legislation are on offer, and the European Parliament is to vote on which it prefers before voting on the final proposal.

The SP will offer its support to the proposal which gives the member states the freest hand, but will nevertheless vote against the final proposal for a directive whatever the outcome of the votes which determine the text to be considered.

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