The complaint filed by the Fort law firm on behalf of the Latvian Renewable Energy Federation (LREF) has resulted in action from the European Commission.
Reacting to the LREF's complaint, prepared by Fort, the European Union has decided to carry out an in-depth verification of the state aid provided by Latvia to state-owned major natural gas combined heat and power plants (CHP). The Fort-prepared complaint alleged that in responding to the lobbying efforts of the state-owned natural gas processing plants the rules for granting state aid had been continuously ignored, resulting in adverse impacts on the energy sector in general.
According to a Fort press release, "the Directorate General for Competition of the European Union, after reviewing the complaint drafted by Fort, acknowledged that it is necessary to request explanations from the responsible authorities of Latvia." Subsequent to receiving the requested information the EC will decide on further actions.
According to Sandis Bertaitis, a Fort Partner in Latvia, “Commencement of the in-depth verification is a clear signal on the European Commission’s part that this issue is taken seriously and will not be disregarded. In this situation we will put maximum effort in cooperating with the European Commission in order to provide comprehensive information about actual and legal condition of the energy sector of Latvia.”
