The European Wind Energy Association (EWEA) welcomes the European Commission's decision to launch legal procedures against Member States for failing to implement Community legislation on the internal energy market and renewable electricity. Indeed several Member States do not respect their commitments in terms of promoting renewable electricity and opening their energy markets.

'We are strongly supporting the two actions taken by the European Commission today. Effective competition in the conventional power market is a precondition for creating a level playing-field and, eventually, an undistorted and well-functioning market for renewable electricity. By its legal actions today, the European Commission has demonstrated its commitment to removing discriminatory practices and structural problems that are sources of constant frustrations for the European wind energy industry', said Christian Kjaer, CEO of EWEA.

Unfair market practices and discrimination are preventing wind power, renewables and other third parties from entering many European energy markets. Among these:

• competition in the electricity and gas markets is still very limited and highly distorted;
  
  
• effective cross border competition in the EU electricity markets is challenged by the existence of national and regional monopolies and oligopolies;
  
  
• third party access is hindered by dominant players;
  
  
• vast amounts of state aid in the Community is paid to conventional electricity sources;
  
  
• legal unbundling of production and transmission has not been achieved and should be followed by Community legislation to introduce full ownership unbundling;
  
  
• nuclear energy is shielded from Internal Market rules through the Euratom Treaty.