Energy was one of just two topics - the other was tax evasion - discussed at a special EU summit in Brussels on May 22. European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso had signaled the energy themes in advance, telling the European Parliament the day before that "it is not just commodity prices but policy choices of member states - like taxes, levies, support mechanisms - that have a great impact on price variations, on which we must reflect to avoid fragmentation" of Europe's energy market. He said high energy costs threaten Europe's industrial competitiveness, particularly versus the US. "Already in 2012, industry gas prices were four times lower in the US than in Europe. For electricity prices, the EU is almost twice as expensive as the US."
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