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This article explores whether or not the new European Gas Directive can overcome the limits of the previous directive and ultimately contribute to the creation of a more efficient internal market. The authors classify the new directive's main provisions according to each provision's contribution to the efficiency of both new allocations and production. They conclude that the most important contributions to efficient allocation are made by the provisions that establish regulated access based on published tariffs, the legal and organizational separation between regulated and competitive activities, and independent regulatory authorities who are responsible for setting access tariffs. However, the authors also note that several other provisions, which will exempt major new infrastructures from third party access regulation, preserve the gas service's lack of universality, and monitor security of supply policies, should all increase productive efficiency over time.

This article is available in Spanish only.