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Showing posts from July, 2014

First analysis of the Åland Vindkraft judgment (EU Court of Justice)

I published a detailed comment on the Åland Vindkraft decision of the EU Court of Justice (C-573/12) for ECOHZ . Read the full article on ECOHZ website here . " The EU Court of Justice rules in favour of Sweden in the Åland Vindkraft case: no mandatory opening of national support schemes for the time being. Read Catherine Banet's comment on the EU Court of Justice decision. In a landmark decision delivered on 1 July, the Court of Justice of the European Union deems the Swedish green certificates scheme conform to EU law. It confirms that, based on the Renewable Energy Directive 2009/28/EC and the Treaties, national governments can continue restricting access to their support schemes to renewable electricity generated on their territory. ... " 

First reaction on the Åland Vindkraft Case (in Norwegian)

  The Norwegian business newspaper Dagens Næringsliv ( www.dn.no ) asked for my first reaction after the release of the European Court of Justice decision in the Åland Vindkraft case on 1 July 2014 (see previous post).   Read the interview here .   Reference: " Kan puste lettet ut ", Dagens Næringsliv, 2 July 2014.

Judgment of the EU Court of the Justice in the Åland Vindkraft Case (C-573/12): the Court of Justice backs the restrictive nature of national support schemes for renewables, based on environmental protection

The Court of Justice of the European Union has delivered on 1 July 2014 its decision in the Åland Vindkraft Case (C-573/12) . The Court rules in favour of Sweden , and deems the Swedish national support scheme, a green certificates scheme, conform to EU law, although it constitutes a measure having equivalent effect to a quantitative restriction. Because the measure aims to promote renewable energy sources and act on greenhouse gases emissions that the EU and its Member States are internationally committed to reduce, the Court confirms that Member States can maintain territorial restrictions to access their national support schemes as long as the measure is proportional.   For a background of the case, see previous post here ( Eligibility of Foreign Produced Renewable Electricity to National Support Scheme: Advocate General Deems a Provision of the Renewables Directive Invalid (Preliminary Ruling) )   The full text of judgement is available on Curia here .   Reference : J