EU passes new rules on opening up gas and electricity markets after nearly 3 years - by Aoife White
The European Union on Wednesday approved new rules for opening up gas pipelines and electricity grids to competition — a move that regulators claim could help bring down energy prices and improve energy security. But consumers and some lawmakers said nearly three years' of negotiations on the rules had watered them down so much that they could not challenge the grip large energy firms' have over the European market.