The European Commission said Tuesday it will broaden its antitrust investigation into French electricity rates, saying French rules appear to favor a small group of the company's largest electicity consumers.
The commission said it will broaden its investigation to include "return tariffs," which were intended as a temporary measure but have been prolonged until 2010.
"The commission fears that the system of return tariffs gives an unfair advantage to certain large companies over their competitors," Neelie Kroes, the European Union's antitrust commissioner, said in a statement.