The European Court of Justice and renewables nationalism

Last week’s surprise ECJ judgement on Finnish wind producer Alands Windkraft, went against the opinion of its own advocate general in ruling that member states’ can legally exclude imported energy from renewable subsidy schemes. The decision was celebrated by some European governments keen to retain control over the costs of national renewable energy support schemes. The decision was also welcomed by renewables associations who feared that imported energy would disrupt markets and damage investor confidence. The ECJ has provided member states with a powerful legal tool with which to control the pace of the ‘Europeanisation’ of renewable energy and the broader electricity market.