Brussels, 06/03/2013 (Agence Europe) - On 6 March, the European Commission opened an in-depth investigation to discover whether the exemption from network charges granted to big electricity users in Germany since 2011 amounts to state aid.
The German rule (Stromnetzentgeltverordnung) gives exemption for big electricity users from network charges. This exemption, estimated to total around €300 million in 2012, is financed by the final electricity consumers, who must pay a special levy, “Article 19 surtax,” introduced in 2012.
The Commission thinks at this stage that the surtax is liable to constitute state income and that therefore those exempt from paying it would be at an advantage compared with competitors in other member states. The Commission says that this would probably distort competition within the EU single market. The Commission will also investigate whether the exemption is justified by pursuit of common interest and if so, whether that counteracts the negative impact on competition. The Commission will take a close look at the exemption to see whether it was financed from state resources in 2011, before the Article 19 surtax was introduced. (OL/transl.fl)