Energy: Meeting between EU Commissioner for Consumer Affairs Kuneva and President Ortis
Rome, April 23, 2009
The activities of regulation and control in the electricity and gas markets must contribute to guide consumers'choices to make them increasingly free, informed, and convenient. This was the central topic of the meeting between European Commissioner for Consumer Affairs Meglena Kuneva, and the President of the Regulatory Authority for electricity and gas Alessandro Ortis, held today at the Authority's offices.
Italian versionMr. Ortis and Ms. Kuneva examined and discussed the new regulation and supervision initiatives to guarantee the citizen-consumer's access to benefits emerging from the progressive European liberalizations and integrations of the energy markets.
"Choice is a right, and consumers must be aware of this. It represents their main strength on the market and this right must be applied to all sectors, including the energy service supply sector," stated the European Commissioner for Consumer Affairs, Meglena Kuneva. "I thus hope that the Member States are not tempted, in times of crisis, to hold back the financial resources intended for consumers and their protection."
"Protecting consumers and promoting competition in the energy sectors are among the main missions entrusted to the Authority by its founding law," stated President Ortis, "Therefore we will continue to honour these commitments working in constant contact and cooperation with the Commission and other EU institutions. Our goal is to offer to consumers service quality and protections that are increasingly harmonised and advanced at the European level."
Ortis also mentioned the cooperation among all the European Energy Authorities (within the framework of the Council of European Energy Regulators, which will soon become a full-fledged EU Agency) and a series of measures and instruments for consumers' benefit, regarding service prices, tariffs and quality, launched by the Italian Authority. Among the initiatives of the Italian Authority, the following protection mechanisms have already become operational:
- Electricity bonus for families in need and people who require the use of electromedical life-support equipment; in June the electricity bonus will be joined by the gas bonus.
- For what concernes the quality of services, incentive-based systems (with bonuses and penalties for the operators) have been set up with the aim to reduce service interruptions and improve safety; mechanisms for automatic indemnities for consumers, in the event of non-compliance with the rules; dissemination of electronic meters for remote operations and application of differentiated time-based rates; qualified list and commercial code of conduct for vendors; obligatory comparison tables compulsory included in every offers; simple and more favourable right of withdrawal for consumers; quality standards for vendors' call centers; disciplinated rules for responding to complaints.
- For the consumers' information, the Authority's institutional website has been expanded with the Consumer Window and the "Simple Energy" handbook, in order to provide informations on sector novelties; the "Trova Offerte" Internet tool has been launched, to identify and compare the most convenient proposals online; the call center (toll-free number 800.166.654) has been improved, to provide all kinds of informations to consumers.
- For the activities of control and supervision, the supervision task has been strengthened with the aid of the Compensation Fund for the Electricity Sector and of the Italian Finance Police; limitations or sanctions are envisaged in the case of violation of rules, standards, or resolutions.
- For the relations with consumer associations, the Memorandum of Understanding with the National Council of Consumers and Users is already going ; the Consumers' Forum (set up by the Authority together with the Associations) has become operative; the consultation processes have been enhanced (completing them with the RIA, Regulatory Impact Analysis, procedures); the spread of the settlement procedures for disputes between customers and suppliers has been promoted.