A French-led proposal aligning members of Europe’s south and calling for wholesale electricity prices to reflect the energy-mix cost, from now on, has been rejected by a nine-member bloc of the north, including Germany, which insists energy exchange markets are functioning well.

France joined forces with Greece, Italy, Romania and Spain at a council meeting of European energy ministers yesterday, during which Barbara Pompili, France’s Minister of Ecological Transition, tabled the proposal from the south.

Despite the energy crisis of recent months, which has driven up energy cost levels to unprecedented levels and placed consumers, including industry, under great pressure, Europe’s north, better equipped to handle adverse market conditions as a result of more diverse energy mixes and numerous grid interconnections, has remained adamant that markets remain rational.

Austria, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Latvia, Luxembourg and the Netherlands all refused to discuss the French-led proposal at yesterday’s council meeting, noting that natural gas must continue to shape wholesale electricity prices.