OpenLobby.EU
Explore

Bundesverband Neue Energiewirtschaft e.V. / Association of Energy Market Innovators

bne

Our goals: Demand for a competitive regulatory framework for the energy sector; Enforcement and monitoring of competitive principles in market developments; Implementation of fair and non-discriminatory conditions of competition in the organisation of network access and network usage; Creation of a transparent market and abolition of cross-subsidies between network and distribution departments within vertically integrated supply companies.

Lobbying Activity

Response to Effectively banning products produced, extracted or harvested with forced labour

16 Jun 2022

Photovoltaics (PV) is a key technology for achieving the EU's climate policy goals - see also the European Solar Energy Strategy. Sufficient installation capacities must be available so that the high expansion rates can be achieved. The production capacities of the European solar industry are currently far from sufficient to achieve the targets. Until a PV production capacity in the global market format is built up, Europe is highly dependent on international supply chains for PV, especially China. A high degree of supply chain transparency is in the interest of the German and European solar industry. The solar industry advocates compliance with international labour standards and thus speaks out against forced labour in the supply chain. Supply chain transparency is also a key issue in the European/German solar industry and also in the USA.1,2 Complete transparency cannot be achieved at present due to a lack of cooperation on the Chinese side. Support from the German government and the European Commission is needed here. A key component of ensuring a transparent and secure supply chain is having our own production in Europe - with sufficient weight to have a positive effect on the international supply chain. A ban on the import of solar modules or tariffs cannot achieve this effect. Rebuilding the PV industry in Europe is necessary and advisable, but will only succeed without protectionism. A European industrial strategy for photovoltaics must be geared to the world market, also in terms of defining standards in international supply chains. If too little is done in Europe, nothing will change in terms of production locations, working conditions and ultimately also dependencies. A stop on imports of photovoltaics from China - which could be a possible consequence of an EU parliamentary initiative6 currently under discussion - would trigger a crash of the PV sector in Germany and Europe in the current situation, without creating an alternative to China on the (growing) world market. The PV expansion plans for Germany and Europe would then not be achievable, which, in addition to the climate goals, would also mean that progress in reducing dependence on natural gas would have to be reduced rapidly. Such a strategy would be doomed to failure. Instead, the aim must be to retain sovereignty and the ability to act and to regain control over all PV value creation processes in order to bring about change - also in the part of the supply chain that lies outside Europe. The PV industrial strategy should be supported at European level by an IPCEI for photovoltaics (see such proposals of the EU Commission for a European solar strategy)7. It must be able to represent all process steps of the PV supply chain in Europe and should focus on economies of scale and competitiveness. This includes the procurement of the necessary raw materials, the refinement of polysilicon, the production of ingots and wafers, as well as cell and module production and PV recycling. The production of electronics and energy system components for photovoltaics (e.g. inverters and battery storage in all sizes, as well as control and grid technology) should also be strategically strengthened. At the same time, the high-running PV industry in Europe should define the standards of the global supply chain - which is only possible if it is itself a competitive part of the international supply chain. Only if Europe plays a role in the world PV market will Europe positively change world market rules and standards. A comprehensive industrial strategy for PV improves supply chain security worldwide, enables supply chain diversification and improves Europe's position in the growing world PV market. --- Sources, visualisations and further information can be found in the appendix (two pages).
Read full response

Meeting with Joachim Balke (Cabinet of Vice-President Miguel Arias Cañete)

2 Dec 2015 · Market Design

Meeting with Günther Oettinger (Commissioner)

1 Sept 2015 · Chancen und Herausforderungen der Digitalisierung der Energiewirtschaft