“Today, we are putting an end to the era of external monopolies in the EU gas market which, for years, has exposed consumers to paying much higher energy bills and has been used to turn off gas taps in the middle of winter. This is excellent news for our citizens, industry and our overall security in the EU”, said Jerzy Buzek MEP, EPP Group Spokesman, after the deal on common rules for the internal market in natural gas was adopted by the European Parliament.