The German Gas Market post 2005: Development of Real Competition

This study describes the development of the German gas market from 2006 to 2009 and its transition from a market situation where hardly any competition was observable to a market where competition is starting to take place. I already described in an earlier study in 2006 the development – or stagnation – of the German gas market from 2000 to 20051. I start the present study with a summary of the main results of my 2006 study, where I identified three main issues that were responsible for the lack of change in the German gas market and the not very satisfying response to the initiative of market liberalisation started in 1998 with the first EU directive, 98/30/EC “Concerning common rules for the internal gas market in natural gas”.

By: Heiko Lohmann