WRITTEN QUESTION No. 1709/97 by Hiltrud BREYER to the Council. Electricity Grid Feed Act
Date: 1997-05-22
Institutions: BREYER, European Parliament
Subjects: Germany, clean technology, electrical energy, energy policy, energy production, environmental protection, price of energy, renewable energy, research and development, wind energy

C 76/46

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

11. 3. 98

(98/C 76/126)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1713/97

by Hiltrud Breyer (V) to the Council

(22 May 1997)

Subject: Electricity Grid Feed Act

Renewable energy is extremely important from the point of view of protecting the environment and climate. This
point was most recently acknowledged in the Green Paper on Renewable Sources of Energy (COM(96) 0576
final). Effective measures to promote renewable energy and ensure its rapid introduction into the market are
therefore essential. In Germany, the Electricity Grid Feed Act has for years served as an efficient means to this
end, enabling more than 1600 MW of wind power capacity to be installed within six years. The success of this
legislation is incontestable, but at the same time it has met with opposition from the monopolistic German energy
industry, which suddenly found itself exposed to unwelcome competition on the energy production side.

1. What is the Council(cid:146)s view of the dispute about state aid in connection with the Electricity Grid Feed Act
and Commissioner Van Miert(cid:146)s letter of 26 October 1996 to Germany(cid:146)s Federal Minister for Economic Affairs?

Does the Council agree that the (cid:145)polluter pays(cid:146) principle referred to in Article 130r(2) of the EC Treaty
2.
permits the creation of instruments enabling any additional costs of environmentally benign energy production to
be shared among all electricity consumers, as provided for, for example, by the Electricity Grid Feed Act in
Germany in the case of renewable energy?

3. What  is  the  Council(cid:146)s  view  of  the  role  of  renewable  energy  in  fulfilling  the  European  Union(cid:146)s  climate
protection  obligations?  Are  not  aid  measures  to  promote  the  introduction  of  renewable  energy  into  markets
needed to perform this duty?

Joint answer
to Written Questions Nos E-1707/97, E-1709/97, E-1711/97 and E-1713/97

(25 September 1997)

1.
The Council agrees with the Honourable Member that renewable energy has an important role to play in the
endeavours of the Community and the Member States to protect the environment.  In its common position on the
review  of  the  European  Community  programme  of  policy  and  action  in  relation  to  the  environment  and
sustainable development (cid:147)Towards sustainability(cid:148) (1),  the  Council  suggested  priorities  for  the  energy  sector. 
Among  these  priorities  are:    to  promote  energy  efficiency  and  the  rational  use  of  energy  and  to  support  the
development and application of energy-saving technologies and practices including programmes and measures,
awareness-raising and information measures, and to develop criteria for the screening of subsidy schemes in
order to redress incentives which have an adverse effect.

Furthermore, the Council Resolution on renewable sources of energy agreed upon by Energy Ministers at the
Council  meeting  on  27  May  1997  contains  the  position  of  the  Council  on  various  issues  connected  with
renewables and, more specifically, questions raised in the Commission(cid:146)s Green Paper for a Community Strategy
- Energy for the future:  renewable sources of energy.  The resolution lists a series of measures that could increase
the consumption of renewable energy.  These include actions and measures in the fields of research, development
and demonstration; market conditions; consumer information and confidence; and coordination and monitoring. 
The resolution also notes that an active governmental policy, both at Member State and at Community level, is
necessary to improve the competitiveness of renewables.

Thus, the Council is well aware of the efforts required to meet the indicative target to double the overall share of
renewables by 2010.