Regarding the announcement published yesterday by the German Federal Minister for Economy Dr. Philipp Roesler that it is necessary to discuss on the EU level to which extent existing birds and habitat directives hinder a timely expansion of the energy grid, Antonella Battaglini, Executive Director of the Renewables-Grid-Initiative, states:
"The 29 signatories of the European Grid Declaration, including a large number of transmission system operators (TSO) and environmental organisations (NGO) from across Europe have already agreed that there is no contradiction between building grids and environmental protection. Opening up the subject again will not deliver a faster grid development, rather a polarization among different stakeholder groups with unpredictable consequences. The European Grid Declaration provides a set of guiding principles to build up the necessary grid with full respect of environmental regulations. We should refer to it for guidance and inspiration”.
