European statistics on natural gas and electricity prices

Briefing 24-02-2016

Member States would have to collect statistics on the prices charged to industrial consumers and households for natural gas and electricity. Price data would be reported every six months for different consumption volumes, and cover energy prices, network charges, taxes and levies, and their sub-components. The proposed regulation would replace Directive 2008/92/EC that requires Member States to collect such statistics for industrial consumers. Data on gas and electricity prices for households are currently collected on a voluntary basis. Statistical data on gas and electricity prices are needed for monitoring the internal market for energy, and the impacts of various policies in the field of energy, such as support for renewable energy sources. The European Council requested a report about energy costs and prices in May 2013. In the context of the Energy Union strategy, the Commission has committed to preparing such a report every two years, starting in 2016. The European Parliament's secretariat also used these statistics in its reports on trends in energy prices for the ITRE Committee. A more recent edition of this document is available. Find it by searching by the document title at this address: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/thinktank/en/home.html