European Commissioner Günther Oettinger outlined the outstanding issues in achieving an integrated energy market by 2014 in a speech given at a conference in Brussels on Wednesday (28th September).
He emphasised the following issues:

• The adoption of the Regulation on Energy Market Integrity and Transparency (REMIT). The Council is due to officially adopt this regulation in October, and it is then expected to come into force before the end of the year.
• Additional work on harmonising market rules and network operation rules for electricity and gas.
• Setting up a framework that will facilitate investment in energy infrastructure. The Commission expects to propose a new regulation that will define Europe’s infrastructure needs until 2030 in October.
• The relevant bodies need to deliver adequate technical standards for smart grids.

In addition, Oettinger said that the socalled Roadmap 2050, which the Commission intends to issue this December, will address issues related to the “future market design in the EU energy sector”.
Oettinger also warned that the Commission would use its powers in ensuring that competition rules are observed and that results are delivered in a timely manner.
The Commission has already launched infringement procedures against countries that have not transposed new EU energy regulation into national law. The Commission is also currently undertaking a probe into anti-competitive behaviour in mainly central and eastern European natural gas markets (see ESGM 28
September 2011).