Old habits die hard in France, where the government still struggles with the concept of a fully liberalized energy market. The issue has been brought into sharp focus by a legal tussle with energy suppliers over government-regulated household gas prices - a tussle that has also revealed how French wholesale gas costs have become less heavily exposed to oil indexation.Paris wants to limit a price increase planned to come into effect in January to avoid, it says, hurting consumers' pur-chasing power. Under the existing price formula regulating the household gas tariffs charged by dominant supplier GDF Suez, prices should go up by 10%, but Prime Minister Francois Fillon said last week he'd flatly oppose a 10% rise, preferring a 5% maximum.
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