UPDATED: Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen (M) calls it a dilemma that Danish offshore wind turbine projects have been put on hold due to doubts about EU rules for state aid. He said this on Monday after a ministerial meeting in Brussels, where state aid for the green transition was on the agenda.
On the one hand, there is a need for simpler and faster approval processes if the green transition is to succeed, says the Foreign Minister.
On the other hand, it should not be the case that there are no restrictions or rules for state aid. Because that could lead to a "state aid race" both in Europe and internationally, he says.
- The fact that these wind turbine projects have been put on hold due to some state aid rules shows very well the dilemma in this. There must be a balance. That is exactly what is being discussed at the moment. And you have to take the state aid rules seriously until they are changed, says Lars Løkke Rasmussen.
The offshore wind projects that have been put on hold are part of the so-called open door scheme. It has existed since 1999, but now doubts have arisen as to whether it is in breach of EU law.
Therefore, all case processing has been put on hold, the Danish Energy Agency announced in a press release that came out on Monday morning, while Løkke discussed the green transition with his European colleagues.
Concerned about unfair competition
The meeting comes after the EU Commission last week presented a proposal that will allow member states to provide more money in state aid for, among other things, the expansion of renewable energy to help the green transition get underway.
Smaller countries like Denmark are concerned about whether large countries like Germany and France can be allowed to provide so much state aid to their companies that competition becomes unfair.
- It is important that we do not undermine the internal market, says Lars Løkke Rasmussen.
He points out at the same time, that it is at least as important to reduce the bureaucracy that slows down the green transition as it is to provide more public support.
- I have made myself a spokesman for this today. It is not possible that it takes an average of nine years from someone having the idea of setting up a wind turbine to the blades spinning. It must be done much faster, and this requires that we both in Denmark and Europe look at approvals from the authorities, says Lars Løkke Rasmussen.
/ritzau/
Text, graphics, images, sound, and other content on this website are protected under copyright law. DK Medier reserves all rights to the content, including the right to exploit the content for the purpose of text and data mining, cf. Section 11b of the Copyright Act and Article 4 of the DSM Directive.
Customers with IP agreements/major customer agreements may only share Danish Offshore Industry articles internally for the purpose of handling specific cases. Sharing in connection with specific cases refers to journaling, archiving, or similar uses.
Customers with a personal subscription/login may not share Danish Offshore Industry articles with individuals who do not themselves have a personal subscription to Danish Offshore Industry.
Any deviation from the above requires written consent from DK Medier.
