Spain: Pressure on Spain to hand energy price regulation to CNMC

European authorities have increased pressure on the Spanish government to get the Ministry of Energy to leave it to the CNMC, the markets and competition watchdog, to set the electricity and gas tariffs, as established by European regulation.

The European Commission opened infringement proceedings on the case almost a year ago and has threatened to go to the European Court of Justice (ECJ). Still, Spain’s energy minister, Alvaro Nadal, has been reluctant to relinquish the Ministry’s authority on the matter. Nadal appeared to accept it last January, but in April sent a letter to Brussels in which he categorically refused.

Both the Secretary of State for Energy and the CNMC have shown their willingness to reach an agreement, but remark that the infringement procedure gave Spain a period of two months, which expired in November 2016. If the government continues to resist, Brussels could go to the ECJ and even impose fines.

“The government has given plenty of examples of not believing in independent regulators,” explains Francesc Trillas, from the Autonomous University of Barcelona. “The best thing the Commission has done for Spain is to be a kind of police in telecommunications, energy and competition; It is to be expected that this case will be brought again by the regulator “.

Full Content: El País

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