Have the article read by OpenAI (Beta). Please note that AI translations may take some time to process.Berlin (dpa) – Environmental Action Germany (DUH) has lodged a complaint with the European Commission challenging state funding amounting to 40 million euros for a planned liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal in northern Germany.
According to European Union law, state subsidies for energy projects are only permissible if they contribute to promoting the green energy transition and achieving climate goals, DUH stated on Tuesday. This, DUH argued, is not the case with the LNG terminal, according to a legal opinion.
“The approval of this multimillion-euro state aid rests on very shaky ground,” said the federal managing director of DUH, Sascha Müller-Kraenner.
He said there were no reliable plans on how the terminal should be converted to renewable energies, even though the European Commission had approved the aid on the condition that the terminal would be converted to green gases. Therefore, DUH is urging the European Commission to withdraw the approval for the multimillion-euro state funding for the import of natural gas.
Müller-Kraenner said that “this money must be invested in effective climate protection measures and not in the continuation of an outdated fossil-fuel business model.”
Since DUH is not directly affected by the financing of the LNG terminal, it cannot file a lawsuit. However, the official complaint procedure clearly indicates that the environmental organisation has concerns. According to DUH, the European Commission decides how to proceed with this complaint. (20 August)
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