2. Access to gas transmission and distribution networks: a gradual process

2.1 Europe's gas liberalization process, a carbon copy of British liberalization

The liberalization of the gas market in Europe was organized by the European directive of June 22, 1998 (which duplicates the 1996 electricity directive). This directive reproduces the broad outlines of the process put in place in Great Britain fifteen years earlier. The second oil crisis in 1979, following the surge in oil prices, enabled the UK to make the most of its North Sea hydrocarbon discoveries, leading to rapid self-sufficiency and even a slight export of gas. At the same time, it accelerated the substitution of gas for coal in power stations. By ideological choice, but also to limit union power, the government had opted for privatization and liberalization of the energy sector (starting with...