Studying the legislative process of electricity market liberalization in the ‎European Union

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Ebrahim Rahbari 1
Hossein Arafati 2
1 Assistant Prof, International trade and intellectual property law, Faculty of law, Shahidbeheshti ‎University, Tehran, Iran
2 International trade law, MA. In Energy law, Faculty of law, Shahid beheshti University, Tehran, ‎Iran
10.30503/ewl.2024.209028
Abstract
The electricity market around the world hasfaced various developments. In general, in the beginning, this industry carries out the process of production, transmission and distribution in a completely free and private way. Then, at some time until the 90s, electricity was considered as a public good and its market as a market with a natural monopoly. But in the 90s and with the progress of different systems in the electricity distribution network, different countries came to the conclusion that by liberalizing the electricity market in the wholesale and retail parts, they can create a competitive market in these two areas. The European Union, with strict rules and regulations, has been trying to free its electricity market in the member countries from past monopolies since the 90s. The results show that the European Union has been very successful in this field by presenting 4 packages to liberalize its electricity market, and has also achieved achievements such as the free formation of electricity prices, the right of access for potential competitors in this market, and the connection of the electricity markets of member countries. This article examines the process of liberalization of European electricity markets in the legislative framework and analyzes the effects and achievements of this process.
Keywords
liberalization
electricity ‎market
competition
‎European Union.‎
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