Press Release: Energy markets: five Member States to be taken before the Court of Justice

The European Commission on 6 July 2005 decided to bring Estonia, Ireland, Greece, Spain and Luxembourg before the Court of Justice of the European Communities and to send a reasoned opinion to Portugal, for failure to transpose into their national law either one or both of the two EU Directives on the internal gas and electricity markets. This was the third stage in the infringement procedure after the Commission had sent letters of formal notice to 18 States in October 2004. The situation improved considerably, especially in the countries of northern Europe (Belgium, Germany and Sweden), but the situation in the Iberian Peninsula still gave cause for concern.