The new Belgian Energy Minister is no big fan of a liberalised market

Paul Magnette, the Belgian (federal) Minister of Climate and Energy appears very reluctant toward the liberalisation of the energy market.

In an interview with De Morgen (a Flemish quality newspaper) he declared on a question about the willingness of Electrabel to sign an “ecological pact”:

"I do not know whether this is necessary. For me, free competition is no sacred principle. Even although Europe is fighting so hard for it. I am un homme de gauche. In some sectors, competition was wholesome, like in the telecommunications sector, but in the energy sector it did not lead to any advantage for the small customer. I also do not know very well how to organise competition with a natural monopoly. We cannot build new pipelines next to existing ones, can’t we? Europe has made a distinction between producers, grid operators and suppliers, but this has not given any positive effect. The quality has not increased, the invoices only became more complicated.
“If we want competition to work, there is above all things a need for a strong governmental regulator. Especially in sectors with a quasi-monopoly. We also must impose social and environmental aims in these sectors. That is more important than the competition in itself.."

The new Belgian Energy Minister is no big fan of a liberalised market