The French Council of State (CoS), France's highest administrative court, announced the cancellation of a May 2013 decree concerning the regulated gas tariffs applied in France by Engie (formerly GDF Suez) and other smaller players to more than 5 million households and said it hurts competition principles and infringes the EU regulations. This decision is a landmark and could be only a first step towards the end of regulated gas tariffs in France. However, the decision will not be retroactive.
The May 2013 decree was disputed by the French National Association of Energy Retail Operators (Anode), which took the matter to the Court. In a July 2017 first move, the CoS pointed out that the decree was possibly in conflict with the European regulations and in particular with the 2016 European Court of Justice's ruling, which stated that regulated tariffs were an obstacle to a competitive gas market. The CoS argued that there is no economic interest for regulated gas prices - offered by Engie and local historical gas distributors only - that could justify barriers to full competition in the market.
The Anode groups together alternative gas suppliers such as Direct Energie, Eni, or Lampiris that are not allowed to supply customers at regulated tariffs.
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