Towards Liberalisation of the European Electricity Markets

On 19 December 1996, the European Parliament and the Council adopted the Directive concerning common rules for an internal market in electricity. The key questions which arise from this development are the following: How far are the competition and internal market rules of the EC-Treaty applicable to the electricity sector? What are the contents of the directive and its consequences? How must Member States respond to enforce the objectives of the directive and what are the results of this new situation for both electricity supply and consumer undertakings?