1. 1
EUROMONTANA RESPONSE TO THE
GREEN PAPER ON « EUROPEAN
STRATEGY FOR SUSTAINABLE,
COMPETITIVE AND SECURE ENERGY »
Introduction
Euromontana wishes to support the European Commission’s initiative on the Green
Paper “A European Strategy for Sustainable, Competitive and Secure Energy”.
Although the Green Paper makes a very positive contribution to the debate on the
energy future of Europe, Euromontana considers it still needs some major
modifications.
Euromontana would like to draw attention to the specific situation of the mountain
areas regarding energy. Europe’s mountain areas are in a central position of the
current and future European energy strategy as major transit areas and energy
suppliers, both of current (hydropower) and nascent and growing energy forms (solar
power and biomass). They also play a major part in the storage of carbon (carbon
stocks).
On the other hand the European mountain areas are in a position where their energy
needs are higher than urban and even other rural populations, by reason of, for
example, transport and the on-costs created by the natural geographic handicap.
Solutions in mountain areas are also most in need of public intervention because of a
market failure caused by the reluctance of private enterprises to invest in the sparsely
populated areas.
Euromontana calls for a European energy policy that is inclusive and built on the
principle of territorial cohesion, and is sustainable in economic, social and
environmental terms.
1) Energy for growth and jobs in Europe: completing the internal European
electricity and gas markets
Mountain areas tend to be major transit areas for energy networks. The overhead lines
cut mountain landscapes and cause fear of magnetic radiation among the population.
Undergrounding, the other currently technically feasible option is hugely more
expensive and also invasive and has its own environmental and landscape impacts.
Yet, the lines are an inevitable solution to areas such as many mountain areas which
have huge renewable resource but no market. We recognise that there is a need to
balance the protection of the environment and landscapes and the need of clean
energies, and that investment in existing and new overhead line infrastructure is
essential. However, continued research into alternative, less invasive, new kinds of
solutions (such as hydrogen as a means of storage) should be encouraged. Also, any
new lines should be agreed upon as far as possible in consultation with the local
populations.

2. 2
Euromontana supports the point raised also by CPMR in their policy position on
including in development policy, the development of local grids, so as to allow the
peripheral Regions to increase their level of self-sufficiency. In particular hydrogen
should be further developed to store energy in these local networks.
There is also a potential in mountain areas to reduce energy costs by producing for
example solar power for micro-equipment such as heating water or for selling it to the
main network in peak production hours and completing the energy source by buying
from the network during low production. Euromontana calls for the encouragement
of increased use of micro generation, where support both through advice and funding
is needed to stimulate the market and increase confidence in renewable energy
solutions.
2) An internal energy market that guarantees security of supply: solidarity
between member states
Security of supply: The Green Paper seems to claim in Chapter 2.2 that the
liberalisation of the markets would have contributed to improving security of supply.
Euromontana would point out that on the contrary liberalisation has caused
deterioration in the supply security. Production centres and distribution networks have
not been renewed by the multiple suppliers due to the insecurity caused by the
opening of the markets. In several countries, United Kingdom being a typical case,
liberalisation of the markets has caused prices to rise rather than to reduce.
In Euromontana’s opinion security of supply, a service of general interest should be
treated in much more detail in the Green Paper. Among others the elements of access
of all consumers to energy, quality of the energy, price etc. should be addressed.
The concept could be presented in a following way:
Sécurité d‘approvisionnement
Service public au sens large
• Conseils en énergies et autres prestations
• Places de travail (formation, maintien en régions périph.)
• Encouragement d’énergies renouvelables
Approvisionnement de base
(Service public au sens stricte)
• Desserte de zones habités aussi hors des zones à bâtir
Sécurité d’approvisionnement
• Fourniture suffisante et régulière
• Réseaux surs et à haute capacité
• Qualité requise
• Prix équitables

3. 3
3) Tackling security and competitiveness of energy supply: towards a more
sustainable, efficient and diverse energy mix
Euromontana supports targets for substituting non-renewable energies with renewable
energies and calls for the substitution to be supported by a wide range of incentives.
In Euromontana’s opinion the Green Paper neglects hydropower as a renewable
energy source. Hydropower is one of the main renewable energies and has a
production capacity way beyond “new” renewable energies such as solar power, wind
power etc. In particular in mountainous countries such as Austria, Switzerland and
Norway hydropower contributes largely to self-sufficiency and also to the exports of
energy. Mountain areas are one of the most traditional energy production areas in
Europe, with hydro-power plants linked to early industrialisation. However, there is
still scope for development even in areas that have a long history of using
hydropower. Large scale opportunities may be minimal but micro sites are numerous.
Euromontana requests hydropower to be treated much more extensively in the Green
Paper and that increase in production capacity be encouraged (respecting the
protection of nature and landscape).
There is also a lack of reference to other forms of renewable energies such as wood or
geothermal energy. For rural areas wood is one of the most important endogenous
resources. It is a renewable energy and neutral in CO2. Use of wood resources should
be encouraged though the cohesion policy.
Further we note the absence of measures over and above a simple framework of
energy policy. For example:
- Encouraging regional production networks (through cohesion policy) could
contribute to reducing trans-european transport
- Transfer of goods from roads to railways would contribute also to curbing the use
of petroleum (non-renewable)
4) An integrated approach to tackling climate change
Euromontana supports the idea that increasing energy efficiency should be the first
priority in any energy strategy.
Climate change is clearly a major global challenge and in particular in mountain areas
with their fragile biosystems and dependency on weather related sectors such as
skiing stations. Tackling climate change through the development of renewable
energies should be a priority for the European Community.
Sometimes the development of renewable energies conflicts with other environmental
priorities. Euromontana feels that decisions made on environment on the
precautionary principle are often made too far from the local context without
sufficient knowledge about the local conditions, and therefore recommends the Union
to adopt a more consensus and evidence-based approach involving participation of the
local populations and their interests.

4. 4
The Green Paper justly cites urban public transport as a major area of development,
but Euromontana would like to stress also of the importance of the development of
low emission transport in mountain areas. People in remote and mountainous areas
that are sparsely populated often do not have the option of public transport and
therefore solutions such as hydrogen from renewables, and increased use of biofuels,
as a long-term solution also for private transport should be further developed.
Forested mountain areas represent a major carbon capture section in the European
Union. Emission trading schemes under development should fully reward mountain
areas for this public service.
Euromontana is surprised that the Green Paper renounces clear objectives for the post
2010-period. The European Union could demand that its member states formulate
similar quantitative goals that still respect the national framework.
5) Encouraging innovation: a strategic European energy technology plan
Innovation targets should include also the implementation and user-friendliness of the
renewable energy technologies. There is a need for advice and support to stimulate the
market for renewables both at a commercial and small scale, whether household,
community or business.
In several transport fields, which are the major users of non-renewable energies, the
European Union countries are behind their competitors in for example Japan.
European Union should encourage research on new fuels (bioethanol, propulsion
hybrids etc.)
Several universities and private research centres already have ongoing research on
energies. Better networking of these centres would seem more important for us than
the creation of new European centres.
6) Towards a coherent external energy policy
EUROMONTANA - European Association for mountain areas / Association
européenne pour les zones de montagne
T: +32 2 280 42 83
F: +32 2 280 42 85
Pl. du Champs de Mars 2, B-1050 Bruxelles
info@euromontana.org
www.euromontana.org