The prevalence of environmental protection over community freedoms
the Alands Vindkraft case law
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.71296/raap.87Keywords:
Directive 2009/28/EC, Alands Vindkraft, Alands Vindkraftguarantees of origin, greenhouse gas emissions, renewable energies, mandatory national targets, national support schemes, territorial limitations, free movement of goods, measures having equivalent effect to a quantitative restriction, proportionality testAbstract
The refusal by the competent Swedish authority to award electricity certificates for a wind farm located beyond Sweden’s borders in order to comply with the certificates’ compulsory quota led to the judgement of the Grand Chamber of the Court dated 1 July 2014 on the Aland Vindkraft’ Case. In such judgement, the Court examines fundamental questions, such as: the approval of an electricity certificates national support scheme with the particularities of the Swedish legislation, the weigh of the principles of environmental protection and increasing the production of renewable energies against the free movement of goods within the European area, the application of the proportionality test and its corresponding results, as well as the significance of the principle of legal certainty when implementing European law measures within the different legal systems.
The purpose of the present article is to offer an insight of this judgement, by a brief introduction to the legislative and conceptual context in which this Case is framed, an analysis of the Court’s legal reasoning and subsequent rulings, the gathering of jurisprudential considerations and criticisms, and lastly, the virtual impact that can be achieved by measures having equivalent effect to a quantitative restriction within the current structure of the European energy market.
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References
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