in keeping with your desire for periodic updates on developments here in 
Europe, a summary of recent Belgian decrees.   mcs
---------------------- Forwarded by Mark Schroeder/LON/ECT on 06/11/2000 
17:39 ---------------------------


Bruno Gaillard@ENRON
06/11/2000 15:25
To: Chris Presiaux/LON/ECT@ECT, Raphael Brun, Didier Magne/LON/ECT@ECT
cc: Mark Schroeder/LON/ECT@ECT, Peter Styles/LON/ECT@ECT 

Subject: Belgium: Electricity and gas markets: recent amendments

On 24 October 2000, six Royal Decrees on the liberalisation of the energy 
(electricity and gas) market were published in the Official Gazette. Below is 
a breif summary of the decrees

Electricity matters: 

Eligibility of end users 
Elegiblility consumption threashold: 
currently 100 GWh, 20 GWh starting 31/12/00, 10 GWh starting 31/12/02 
Distribution companies are elegible, for the volume of electricity supplied 
to eligible clients within the distribution grid 
Registration requirements:
Elegible customers must provide the competent minister with all relevant 
information, such as the meter reading recording the supply of electricity 
over the previous year, and an evaluation of consumption in the next year.
For 2000,customers must register by 23/11/00, these customers will be 
elegible through 12/31/01
For all comming years, including 2001, customers must register by the 1st of 
Febuary of that year
Resistration must be renewed every year. (An official registration form is 
publish and will be available soon) 
 
Management of the transmission grid
At least half the Board of Directors must be independent directors;
The Board of Directors constitutes a governance committee composed only of 
independent directors.  This committee,s object is to:
propose candidates for appointments as independent directors; and
examine conflicts of interest between the system operator and any of its 
shareholders and report to the Board of Directors; and
rule on cases of conflicts of interest (managers and personnel); and
supervise the proper application of the Royal Decree.

The Management Board, constituted of independent members, is exclusively 
competent for the technical operation of the network.  

However, the system operator has yet to be appointed. The Council of 
Ministers may make this appointment in the next few weeks (maybe on 10 
November 2000).  The  guarantee to the right of access for the eligible 
customers, is not yet in force and shall come into force only once the 
appointment of the system operator is official.

Composition and functioning of the General Council of the CREG
The General Council of the CREG gives advice and recommendations on the 
electricity and gas market at the request of the competent Minister, a 
regional government or the executive body of the CREG.
The composition of the General Council has been amended to e.g. increase the 
representation of public authorities, and allow producers of renewable energy 
to be represented.

2.    Gas Matters
A large part of the Act of 29 April 1999 on liberalising the gas market is 
now in force.  However, most provisions now in force only empower the King or 
the competent Minister to issue (Royal) Decrees to implement the Gas Act.

Three provisions, in force since 24 October, may be singled out:

Electricity producers may buy the gas necessary to generate electricity, 
whatever their consumption.  However, the right of access to the network is 
not yet in force (same problem as for the electricity market).

Conflicts on access to the gas network may be submitted to the GREG, which 
has powers of conciliation and arbitration. An administrative court ("La 
chambre d'Appel") will also be created to rule on this kind of conflict.  A 
Royal Decree regulating arbitration and the procedure in the administrative 
court still has to be issued.

From the first financial year after 10 August 2000, Belgian companies that 
generate, transport, deliver, supply, stock or buy gas, must comply with 
Belgian accounting rules and keep separate books for activities of transport, 
distribution and storage of gas.

Below please find the decrees in french. Please let me know if you want them 
translated.

---------------------- Forwarded by Bruno Gaillard/EU/Enron on 06/11/2000 
12:02 ---------------------------
   
	Enron Capital & Trade Resources Corp.
	
	From:  Isabel.DeBacker@LOEFF.BE                           06/11/2000 10:59
	

To: Bruno.Gaillard@enron.com
cc:  

Subject: RE: The liberalisation of the electricity and gas markets: recent 
amendments



 - EnronARR1.doc
 - EnronARR2.doc
 - EnronARR3.doc
 - EnronARR4.doc
 - EnronARR5.doc
 - EnronARR6.doc