The European Commission’s second-most powerful politician is isolated, beleaguered and under attack — just like the green policy she has vowed to protect.
Back in June, several media reported that Teresa Ribera is refusing to exempt any sort of operational cost when it comes to solar panel, wind turbine, and battery producers from the bloc’s strict state aid regime.
The powerful competition directorate of the European Commission is indeed going ahead and blocking a push that would enable the governments to subsidize their production costs when it comes to clean energy technologies, thereby flaring-up the tensions between the EU officials who are enforcing the state-aid rules and the ones who are working on the industry … This internal battle underscores the EU’s executive struggle in order to navigate the barriers of supporting the emerging technologies in the global race between Europe and China as well as the US, but at the same time also holding firm to its traditional free market approaches when it comes to subsidies.
I can imagine part of the reasoning there being that we need to keep a clean slate there to be able to raise levies on state-subsidised products coming from (mostly) China without attracting massive counter-levies.
Back in June, several media reported that Teresa Ribera is refusing to exempt any sort of operational cost when it comes to solar panel, wind turbine, and battery producers from the bloc’s strict state aid regime.
One such article is here, saying, amongst others:
I can imagine part of the reasoning there being that we need to keep a clean slate there to be able to raise levies on state-subsidised products coming from (mostly) China without attracting massive counter-levies.