E.ON's (EON) offer to sell its power grid to assuage European Union antitrust concerns doesn't change the essence of the debate on a European Commission plan to divide integrated power utilities into separately owned suppliers and distributors, Dominique Maillard, Chief Executive of French power-grid operator RTE said Tuesday.
E.ON's move "does not fundamentally change the basis of the debate," Maillard said at a press conference to discuss RTE's full-year 2007 results.
RTE is a unit of Electricite de France (1024251.FR). France and Germany have led opposition to the commission's plan for what's known as "ownership unbundling."
Maillard declined to comment on RTE's state of preparedness for ownership unbundling, if the commission's plan got enough backing from E.U. member states.