Portugal launches discussion in Brussels on energy subsidies for industry
Next Monday, the issue of energy subsidies for European industry, which differ substantially between EU Member States, will be discussed in Brussels.
The Minister for the Environment and Energy, Maria da Graça Carvalho, said that Portugal had taken the initiative, already supported by some European countries, to discuss the aid given by European Union (EU) Member States to their industry with regard to energy. The Portuguese proposal was accepted and will be on the agenda of the Energy Council meeting next Monday.
“The support given by each Member State to reduce energy costs for industrial customers should never distort competition in the internal market”, argued the minister, who was speaking at the closing of the Portuguese Energy Association (APE) conference on Thursday.
It is in this sense that Portugal proposed that a resolution should be debated to address the concern “that the substantial aid given by some Member States” could be a source of distortion of competition. Maria da Graça Carvalho named Germany and France as examples of countries that provide large amounts of aid. “There must be similar rules within the European internal market”, she argued.
The initiative was “immediately” supported by Spain and, at this moment, “also has the support of Ireland, Iceland and the Netherlands”, said the minister.
The issue had already been raised last week by the Secretary of State for Energy, Jean Barroca, at PLMJ’s ESG Forum conference. “There is a lack of correlation between the final cost of energy on the market and the cost that companies pay under state budgets”, he pointed out, indicating that Portugal would submit a request to this effect to the European Commission.
