Summary: Key words: Third party access-natural monopoly-essential facilities-PSO´s-Eligible ClientsDirect lines-Interconnector-Energy Regulatory Authority--------------------------------------------------------------
The two directives adopted in 1996 and 2003 to establish common rules for the internal market of
electricity have been implemented in France with great delay, through a Law “concerning the
development and modernisation of the electricity public service” adopted in February 2000. The
French law brings a lot of changes to the functioning of the electricity market. It abolishes exclusive
rights in electricity generation and import-export, it requires unbundling of network activities from
generation and transmission-distribution-supply activities, and its fundamental objectives are
transparency and non discrimination. His aim is to organise an electricity market under both principle
of competition and public service obligations. The directive is also accompanied with a regulation on
cross-border trade in electricity, which establishes common rules for the compensation of transit
flows, and guideline on harmonisation of national transmission tariffs and on allocation of crossborder interconnection capacity. In order to guaranty an homogeneous and non-discriminatory access
to the network, national regulatory authorities such as the “CRE” fix and approve the network tariffs
and is also acting as a dispute settlement authority. Regulatory authorities have to ensure an effective
competition and an efficient functioning of the electricity market.
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