Arthouros Zervos, President of EREC and EWEA, presented to an audience of around 100 people the renewable industries’ first reaction to the Green Paper for a “Sustainable, Competitive and Secure Energy Supply for Europe” that the Commission published a month before. Arthouros Zervos outlined how renewables can contribute to all the challenging issues addressed in the Commissions proposal for a new European energy policy.

If the EU wants to guarantee security, stability and prosperity in and around Europe an ambitious and coherent energy policy is of course a crucial requirement.

The Union has to face up to current challenges such as: security of energy supply, economic growth, sustainable development, climate change, employment and technological development.

The main message of Professor Zervos was: “only renewable energy technologies in combination with energy conservation and efficiency have a positive effect on all of these goals”.

After Arthouros' presentation a lively debate sparked up amongst the audience composed of MEPs, Commission and Council staff, Industry and NGO representatives. The discussion was chaired by Mr. Chichester, MEP and chairman of the ITRE committee in the European Parliament.

EREC, together with its member associations, will continuously spread the renewables industries position on this important topic and be a key player in the stakeholder process leading to concrete measures as outcome of the debate on the green paper.