This month, following the news of the amendments of rapporteur Claude Turmes to the EU Directive for the Promotion of Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency, the postulate is:

"The EU Directive and its amendments will remove the existing barriers and ensure a prosperous growth of sustainable energy in Europe”

This week, our guest is Claes Hedenström, President of RECS International and manager of regulatory affairs at Vattenfall.

"The Commission did a pretty good job with its proposals. But the most important barrier is still there: the trade barrier.

Trade of renewable energy in the EU is necessary because we want to achieve our targets in the most cost-efficient way. Projects within the EU should be established at the most favourable sites, no matter where they are.

The Commission starts with establishing an internal market and places some restrictions. I agree with the Commission that a transition period is required to grow towards an internal market. But I don't agree with the restrictions designed by the Commission. And I am fully rejecting the proposals by 'rapporteur' Claude Turmes, which implies the opposite: no internal market, unless countries want to link up.

Instead, we would like either a stepwise increase of the trade, up to a 70% share of all renewable energy by 2020, or else a few 'cluster markets' of countries with similar support systems."