Consumption in Europe down in 2012. - According to a study by Société Générale, the consumption of electricity remained stable in the EU in 2012. The consumption of gas, on the other hand, was down -3.7%, with France the only European country to see its demand increase last year (+3.5%). Gas consumption levels are in fact the lowest since 1999. As well as the use of less energy-consuming devices and more restrictive national policies in terms of energy consumption, as a result of the crisis, this tendency can also be explained by the relatively clement weather in Europe last year. For gas, the study refers to another factor with a bearing on demand, which is the competition of American coal, which has become of less interest than shale gas in the United States and is currently massively used in Europe for the production of electricity. The fall in demand for gas did not, however, succeed in lowering prices, as Russia's Gazprom cut its supply in order to keep prices up. For 2013, Société Générale anticipates stagnation in the consumption of gas and a slight drop for electricity (-0.7%), linked to the economic climate and increased pressure on energy efficiency. (IL/transl.fl)