Customers will be free to choose their gas and electricity suppliers from anywhere in the EU under proposals outlined today.
The European Commission proposed a new timetable of liberalisation to be agreed by leaders at the Stockholm summit on March 23rd.
All non-domestic customers would be free to choose their electricity supplier in 2003 and their gas supplier in 2004, the Commission said.
To ensure non-discriminatory access to the gas and electricity transmission and distribution grids, it recommends separating grid management from production and sales, and making them operate independently.
It wants member states to appoint independent regulators, who would set, publish and approve network access tariffs.
By also setting conditions for access to the transmission grids, they would prevent distortions of competition and bring continuity and transparency to the market, it said.