BRUSSELS, Feb. 16 (UPI) -- Energy firms and European Union members are violating competition law and hurting the bloc's efforts to increase energy security, a top official said Thursday.
"A segmented approach weakens Europe's position vis-à-vis external suppliers and acts as a severe disincentive to investment," European Energy Commissioner Andris Piebalgs told energy industry officials in Brussels, the EU Observer reported.
The comments reflect the fear over energy security in Europe after Russia earlier this year cutoff Ukraine's gas supplies over a pricing dispute. Separately, the European Commission published a report Thursday that said despite EU legislation, top gas firms still hog national pipelines, withhold information on gas reserves and keep prices artificially high, the EU Observer said.
Countries such as Poland have called for an EU, NATO treaty on energy security to prevent crises such as the Russia-Ukraine spat that also led to a drop in gas supplies to much of Europe.
