Brussels, 26/04/2007 (Agence Europe) - Taking a stance on the Commission's energy package and action plan for a European energy policy, adopted by the European Council in March (EUROPE 9341 and 9383), the European Association of Craft, Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (UEAPME) is adamant about the need to complete liberalisation of the internal market for gas and electricity. “European crafts and SMEs are disproportionately affected by the current lack of competition in the energy sector”, states a press release quoting Hanns-Eberhard Schleyer, Chairman of the UEAPME Committee and Secretary General of ZDH, the German confederation of SMEs and skilled craft firms. “In many European countries, quasi-monopolistic structures indulging in rent-seeking activities leave small businesses with no real choice on their energy supplies. High and often increasing prices trigger a competitive disadvantage towards larger companies with better market power. This is particularly worrisome for energy-intensive SMEs”, Mr Schleyer went on to say. Recommending effective separation of distribution networks from production activities (unbundling), UEAPME nonetheless stresses that “ownership unbundling is necessary but not sufficient in this respect”. It takes the view that it must be accompanied by the strengthening of a European regulatory power “capable of loosening the iron grip of energy behemoths and larger businesses on the market, as well as by measures increasing cross-border transport capacities, supplies and coordination”. “As long as these conditions are not met and smaller customers do not enjoy the advantages of a level playing field, regulations such as calculation guidelines or price caps for certain clients are justified and supported by UEAPME”, the organisation points out.
On the subject of energy efficiency, UEAPME considers that the target of saving 20% energy consumed in the Union by 2020 “will only be achieved if SMEs are enabled to effectively contribute to it”. “While the advantages of investing in energy-saving technologies are obvious, small enterprises do not always have the means to finance such investments, especially if they take years to pay off”, the organisation deplores, calling for micro-credits of up to €25,000 backed by national institutions and by the European Investment Fund, to help SMEs invest in such technology. UEAPME also defends the setting in place - in the context of the forthcoming Community directives on state aid to the environment - of guarantee schemes and state aid programmes to compensate market failures.
Finally, although it supports the goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and increasing the use of renewable energy sources, as adopted by the European Council in March, UEAPME nonetheless states that “these measures may also lead to increased costs and weaken companies' competitiveness in the short term”. It therefore calls on the EU to “seek worldwide consensus and avoid one-sided measures”. On renewable energy, the EU should create a regulatory framework ensuring that the most economically efficient sources are chosen and guaranteeing fair treatment for decentralised and small-scale production. (eh)