9 EU countries oppose market reform ahead of energy talks

By SAMUEL PETREQUIN
Associated Press

BRUSSELS (AP) — Nine EU countries, including heavyweight Germany, have joined forces to say they will not support an overhaul of the electricity market ahead of an emergency meeting of the bloc’s energy ministers Tuesday in Luxembourg. The energy crisis impacting consumers’ bills and businesses has been widely acknowledged by European Union leaders, but setting up a common response within the bloc’s 27 member states to weather its impact proves to problematic. A rift has emerged between countries calling for a thorough reform of the bloc’s energy market — among them France and Spain — and those who believe the crisis is only temporary and does not require radical market changes.