Brussels, 29/03/2007 (Agence Europe) - At a press conference with the head of the European Regulators Group for Electricity and Gas (ERGAG), Sir John Mogg, in Brussels on Wednesday, Energy Commissioner Andris Piebalgs said that, among the new proposals to improve the working of the internal energy market, which the Commission will bring forward by the end of the year, he would suggest that national regulators be able to impose fines on electricity network operators responsible for large power cuts. He cited the examples of the recent power cuts at the Swiss-Italian border and the massive power cut of 4 November 2006 (see EUROPE 9356), which, he said, demonstrated that network operators must be held responsible for their errors. In the triennial energy plan which it adopted on 9 March, the European Council backed the Commission proposals for increasing the powers of national energy regulators, and putting in place an independent mechanism allowing national regulators to cooperate and take decisions on cross-border issues (ERGEG+ proposal). (eh)