00:01More than a dozen EU countries have pushed back against European Commission plans to make electricity cheaper than gas through
00:09preferential taxation, warning that Brussels is overstepping its powers.
00:14At a meeting of EU energy ministers in Luxembourg on Thursday, those member states called for the controversial provision to
00:21be scrapped.
00:22The proposal is part of the Commission's efforts to encourage households and businesses to switch from fossil fuels to electricity.
00:30But the rising cost of expanding and operating Europe's electricity grid is increasingly being passed on to consumers through higher
00:38bills.
00:38The Commission proposal comes amid an energy crisis exacerbated since the US-Israeli war against Iran, which has seen prices
00:46soaring.
00:47The strongest opposition centred on the Commission's plan to let it set common rules for how electricity grid charges are
00:55calculated across the EU without having to seek fresh approval from member states and the European Parliament each time.
01:02Some countries argued that the plan would undermine the independence of national regulators over decisions that they believe should be
01:10made at national level.
01:11The Irish presidency, currently mediating EU negotiations, says it wants a compromise on network charges in December.
