WRITTEN QUESTION E-1474/00 by Alejandro Agag Longo (PPE-DE) to the Commission. Renewable energy.
Date: 2000-05-11
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU industrial policy, control of State aid, electrical energy, renewable energy

20.2.2001

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 53 E/151

progress in the Community and in the Member States towards the new economy, and to provide results
each year to the European Council.

(1) Directive of the Parliament and the Council on certain legal aspects of Information Society services, in particular

electronic commerce, in the Internal Market (cid:129) 4/5/2000.

(2) COM(2000) 256 final.

(2001/C 53 E/193)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1474/00

by Alejandro Agag Longo (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(11 May 2000)

Subject: Renewable energy

Renewable energy is a major objective of the EU, in response to the undertakings entered into in the Kyoto
Protocol of late 1997 with regard to combating climate change. It was, accordingly,
included in the
Commission(cid:146)s 1998 white paper on renewable energy, and fully supported by the Council and Parliament
as one of the main priorities for the Community(cid:146)s energy and environment policies.

The Commission is currently finalising a proposal for a directive on the promotion of renewable energy
within the internal market in electricity, which is expected to be made available in the next few weeks.

Does the Commission not believe that the present draft guidelines on state aids for the environment could
jeopardise, marginalise or even render useless the efforts currently being made by all the parties involved
to establish a coherent Community market for the promotion of renewable energy within the internal
market in electricity? Does the Commission not believe that account should be taken of the fact that
electricity generation from renewable sources is today considerably more expensive than the conventional
equivalent, and that there is therefore a need for active promotion and support to enable it to compete?

Answer given by Mrs de Palacio on behalf of the Commission

(26 June 2000)

On 10 May 2000 the Commission adopted a proposal for a Directive on the promotion of electricity from
renewable energy sources in the internal electricity market (1). The strategic aim of the proposal is to
support a significant medium-term increase in the amount of electricity generated from renewable energy
sources and to ease its access to the internal electricity market.

(In its recital No 18) this proposal acknowledges that public assistance for electricity deriving from
renewable energy sources will be necessary in order to achieve the Community(cid:146)s aims as regards its
expansion, more particularly for just as long as electricity prices on the internal market do not reflect all of
the costs and environmental advantages of the energy sources used.

The national support systems for electricity deriving from renewable energy sources are, of course, subject
to the provisions of the EC Treaty and in particular Articles 87 and 88 thereof, concerning State aid.
Revising the Community supervision of State support for the protection of the environment therefore does
not conflict with, but is supplementary to, the adoption of the proposal for a Directive, given that it is
necessary for the Member States and businesses to be familiar with the criteria that the Commission will
apply in order to decide whether the assistance contemplated by the Member States is compatible, or not,
with the common market. Those criteria must, of course, be consistent with the content and ultimate
purpose of the proposal for a Directive of 10 May 2000. Applying them must therefore not remove any
useful effect from that proposal.

(1) COM(2000) 279 final.