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Document 91998E000022

    WRITTEN QUESTION No. 22/98 by Christian ROVSING to the Commission. Exclusive rights in the gas market

    EÜT C 304, 2.10.1998, p. 18 (ES, DA, DE, EL, EN, FR, IT, NL, PT, FI, SV)

    European Parliament's website

    91998E0022

    WRITTEN QUESTION No. 22/98 by Christian ROVSING to the Commission. Exclusive rights in the gas market

    Official Journal C 304 , 02/10/1998 P. 0018


    WRITTEN QUESTION E-0022/98 by Christian Rovsing (PPE) to the Commission (29 January 1998)

    Subject: Exclusive rights in the gas market

    The state owned natural gas company 'Dansk Naturgas A/S' has legal exclusive rights to export, transmit and store natural gas in Denmark.

    Are these exclusive rights, in the Commission's opinion, in accordance with the competition rules of the Treaty?

    Answer given by Mr Van Miert on behalf of the Commission (9 March 1998)

    The Commission cannot comment on the legality of exclusive rights in the abstract. Certain exclusive rights may be justified if their removal makes it impossible for undertakings charged with the operation of services of a general economic interest to fulfil particular tasks imposed upon them by legal measures.

    If there are any such exclusive rights as mentioned by the Honourable Member they should be evaluated in the context of the implementation of the forthcoming directive on common rules for the internal market in gas, on the basis of the common political position reached by the Council on 8 December 1997.

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