Electricity prices across Europe have remained stubbornly high despite falling wholesale costs, according to new EU data. The European Commission reports that the average household price dropped only 0.5% in early 2025 compared to the previous six months, leaving consumers paying well above pre-2022 crisis levels. The main culprit, the report suggests, is not the cost of renewables or gas, but a web of taxes and levies imposed by national governments, which now make up more than 27% of electricity bills — a level likened to “sin taxes” on tobacco and alcohol.
