PROPOSAL FOR DETARIFFICATION OF THE GAS MARKET

In April of this year, the website of the Government Legislation Centre published a draft bill amending the “Energy Law” by introducing detariffication on the gas market and releasing energy companies from the obligation to submit tariffs for approval by the President of the Energy Regulatory Office. The bill is a response by the Polish government to the ruling of the Court of Justice of the EU of 10 September 2015. (Case C-36/14, Commission v Poland). According to the ruling, with the unlimited in time, statutory obligation by a state authority to approve tariffs for trade in natural gas for all customers, the Republic of Poland is in breach of European Union law.

The proposed amendment aims for the gradual detariffication  of natural gas trading and the eventual total abandonment of natural gas price regulating. The draft bill also provides for the obligation to adapt natural gas sale contracts and comprehensive agreements to the requirements of detariffication. Adam Wawrzynowicz’s article discusses the scope and schedule of detariffication and assesses the changes and the proposed date of entry into force of the Act.

The article by W&W’s Adam Wawrzynowicz, “Proposed detariffication in the gas market” was published in the latest edition of the magazine of the Chamber of the Natural Gas Industry “Przegląd gazowniczy” No. 2/2016, pp. 38 – 40.