Source: European Parliament
Question for written answer E-002142/2025
to the Commission
Rule 144
Sophia Kircher (PPE)
Further to requirements for rolling out charging infrastructure, Regulation (EU) 2023/1804 on the deployment of alternative fuels infrastructure sets out rules to strengthen competition in the market for public charging services. Article 5(3) prohibits operators of publicly accessible recharging points from discriminating between end users and mobility service providers or between different mobility service providers. However, it remains unclear whether integrated companies, i.e. those that are both recharging point operators and mobility service providers, in their role as mobility service providers, can serve their own end-users at significantly lower prices than roaming partners. This approach is not explicitly prohibited in the regulation, resulting in significantly higher roaming tariffs. It risks putting individual market players at a disadvantage and restricting competition, thus undermining the key objectives of the regulation. The regulation, in particular recital 34, does not provide any clarity on the matter, and the Commission’s Q & A on the piece of legislation (Question 5.14)[1] also fails to answer the question fully.
- 1.How does the Commission interpret Article 5(3) with regard to integrated companies that are at once recharging point operators and mobility service providers?
- 2.Can competition be restricted by different interpretations of Article 5(3)?
- 3.Will it carry out or have carried out corresponding market analyses ahead of the evaluation set for the end of 2026, and adapt the regulation if necessary?
Submitted: 28.5.2025
- [1] https://transport.ec.europa.eu/transport-themes/clean-transport/alternative-fuels-sustainable-mobility-europe/alternative-fuels-infrastructure/questions-and-answers-regulation-deployment-alternative-fuels-infrastructure-eu-20231804_en