This decree grants the Ministry of Energy, Tourism and Digital Agenda powers previously held by the CNMC, mainly in the energy sector. The lawsuit recalls that the Court of Justice of the EU has already condemned Sweden and Belgium in 2009 for similar actions.
The lawsuit argues that the decree violates numerous national and community regulations, “harms powers that are attributed to the CNMC” and affects the organizational scope of the regulator. The suit also criticizes the Spanish Executive for having passed the rule without “collecting the report prepared by this Organization.”
The petition comes before the new Economy Minister who said, in his debut before the National Congress, that the government will resume with the planned breaking up of the CNMC agreed by the PP and Ciudadanos parties, and announced under his predecessor, Luis de Guindos, in January 2017. Given the parliamentary minority currently held by the PP, it remains to be seen if the initiative will indeed move forward.
Full Content: El Diario
Want more news? Subscribe to CPI’s free daily newsletter for more headlines and updates on antitrust developments around the world.