Brussels, 30/10/2008 (Agence Europe) - The Belgian minister for energy, Paul Magnette, is appeal for European regulation to prevent artificial price hikes encouraged by some of the big energy groups. He informed the press at an energy conference on 30 October in Brussels, that, “it has quite simply become impossible for small countries like Belgium to protect themselves against the big companies”. The French energy group GDF Suez, which has sole control of the Electrabel company, the electricity company dominating the Belgian sector, “has a turnover higher than the Belgian state's budget”, explained Magnette before adding, “effectively, we do not have any more instruments to tackle a group of this size, which controls 85% of our production”. Mr Magnette complained that, “every time I put instruments into place, I receive threats of closure, black outs, a rerouting of energy”. He deplored the fact that, “we are in an asymmetrical problem of real power and as long as there is no European energy regulation agency, certain countries are going to find themselves in a very complicated situation”. The Belgian minister explained that, “we need genuine regulatory instruments. This is the fundamental criticism I make of the European Commission. We deregulated, then we waiting for the market to build itself up. A few of the major groups have obviously exploited the situation to rebuild themselves and they are making us pay artificially high for our electricity”. He insisted that it was scandalous that Belgian consumers where paying the regulated French tariff price, “they are selling us nuclear energy at a price that is clearly higher compared to the price EDF energy was sold for in France”. Over a year, electricity prices have increased by 21.2% in Belgium or between 55 and 60% for electricity from nuclear power. (E.H./trans/rh)