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Political strategies of large companies and their significance for the implementation of the European single electricity market: the examples of France and Germany
Author(s) -
Schumann Diana,
Widmaier Ulrich
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
journal of public affairs
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.221
H-Index - 20
eISSN - 1479-1854
pISSN - 1472-3891
DOI - 10.1002/pa.155
Subject(s) - directive , electricity , electricity market , mains electricity , politics , competition (biology) , electricity retailing , industrial organization , economics , public service , commission , market economy , electric power industry , business , service (business) , economy , finance , public administration , political science , law , engineering , ecology , voltage , computer science , electrical engineering , biology , programming language
Electricity supply in the European member states has been a closed national public sector service without competition for a long time. Currently, the European electricity industry is subject to radical change resulting from the European directive establishing common rules for the internal market in electricity, which came into force in 1997. This paper attempts to explain the varying forms of implementation of the internal electricity market in France and Germany. First, it clarifies the special characteristics of electricity supply and European electricity policy. Secondly, the paper shows the divergent sectoral arrangements of the French and German electricity industries. Thirdly, it points out that the different degrees of linkage between the public players and the electricity companies in France and Germany produce different political strategies which are followed by the companies at the European level, especially those strategies which seek direct influence on the European Commission. Finally, the paper reveals the significance of these strategies in Brussels in terms of the implementation of the single electricity market in both member states. Copyright © 2003 Henry Stewart Publications