Austrian 'green' electricity scheme banned

摘要

A provision of the new Austrian law on 'green' electricity (Okostromgesetz-Novelle 2008), which partially exempts energy intensive businesses from contributing to the funding of 'green' electricity, would impose extra costs on companies not qualifying for the exemption. Such a measure is in breach of EU state aid rules. The European Commission, after an in-depth investigation begun in 2009, consequently decided, on 8 March, to ban the subsidies.