On Tuesday 31 January, the European Court of Auditors (ECA) will publish a special report on whether the European Commission's regulatory approach and the oversight by the EU Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators (ACER) contributed to the integration of the internal electricity market and helped the market to function properly.
ABOUT THE TOPIC
Fully integrating the EU's internal electricity market should enable the free flow of energy through the EU, by ensuring the availability of adequate infrastructure and removing technical and regulatory barriers. Working towards a fully integrated market has always been an important issue, but it has been made even more urgent by the energy and cost-of-living crisis currently facing EU citizens. A well-functioning internal market allows consumers to benefit from from the best electricity prices, increases the security of energy supply, and promotes the green transition.
ABOUT THE AUDIT
The auditors covered the period between 2015 and the end of 2021, mainly examining the wholesale electricity markets. The audit focused on the Commission's use of network codes and guidelines to ensure the integration of the electricity market, and the Commission and ACER's monitoring of the implementation of network codes and guidelines for electricity markets. It also looked at ACER's surveillance of market abuse and transparency. The audit builds on the auditors' previous special report 16/2015, which concluded that the EU's objective of completing the internal energy market by 2014 had not been achieved.
FOR PRESS
The ECA's press office will hold a virtual briefing on Tuesday 31 January. Journalists who wish to participate should contact press@eca.europa.eu for details.
The report and press release will be published on the ECA website eca.europa.eu at 5.00 p.m. CET on Tuesday 31 January.
The ECA member responsible for this report is Mihails Kozlovs.