Die EU-Osterweiterung am 1. Mai 2004 hat den europäischen Binnenmarkt wieder ein Stück vergrößert. Besonders im Elektrizitätsmarkt gab es Stimmen, die das Damokles-Schwert des billigen Atomstroms aus Osteuropa über der früheren EU-15 schweben sahen. Dies hat sich als unbegründet...

The research question addressed by this paper is a simple one: are European consumers happy with the services provided by the utilities after two decades of reforms? We focus on electricity, gas, water, telephone in the EU 15 Member States. The variables we analyse are consumers' satisfaction...

Adequate extension of electricity transmission networks is required for integrating fluctuating renewable energy sources, such as wind power, into electricity systems. We study the performance of different regulatory approaches for network expansion in the context of realistic demand patterns...

Drei Jahre nach der Atomkatastrophe im japanischen Fukushima rücken Laufzeitverlängerungen bestehender Kernkraftwerke und der Bau neuer Reaktoren weltweit wieder stärker in den Fokus. Befürworter erhoffen sich eine kostengünstige Stromerzeugung, eine sichere Energieversorgung sowie einen...

Independent regulatory authorities are a basic prerequisite for a successful liberalization process. However, contrary to what is expected, both graphical analyses and OLS regressions for a small sample of electricity and gas regulators operating in 16 European countries reveal a negative...

Despite the positive effect electricity grids separated from generation and supply by ownership are expected to have on the level of competition in the non-network activities, several EU member states still adhere to a solely legally unbundled transmission grid. This choice might be induced by...

The degree of liberalization in OECD electricity markets varies considerably across countries. Commonly explained by diverging economic performances, corruption levels or government ideologies, this paper suggest another potential reason for cross-national differences in market reforms: given...

We analyze the current regulatory regime for electricity transmission in Germany, which combines network planning with both cost-plus and revenue-cap regulations. After reviewing international experiences on transmission investment, we first make a qualitative assessment of the overall German...

In this paper, we will analyse further the issue of concurrence between competition and sector rules and the relation between parallel concepts within the two different legal frameworks. We will firstly examine Third Party Access in relation to essential facilities doctrine and refusal of access...