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Germany: Officials clash with EU on energy surcharges

By  |  June 26, 2014

The European Commission is reportedly pressuring Germany to rethink plans to impose a surcharge on energy costs to fund green energy, saying the proposals could breach state aid rules, but Germany has reportedly vowed to push back against the Commission’s views.

Germany has proposed to issue fees to energy customers to fund green energy advancement, but the move is facing criticsm for exempting the heaviest energy users from the surcharge. The agenda also includes a proposal that companies that generate their own electricity will pay higher surcharges than initially planned.

But the Commission is concerned that the deal will put imported energy at a disadvantage and likely lead to higher costs.

On Wednesday, Germany Chancellor Angela Merkel vowed to push back against the Commission’s views should it go further to prevent the energy surcharges.

Full content: Reuters

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