Creative Commons

This dissertation was written as part of the LLM in Transnational and European Commercial Law, Mediation, Arbitration and Energy Law at the International Hellenic University. Energy is an important factor for both the global economy and the everyday life of people , because modern civilization is based mostly on energy. The EU energy policy intends to secure the Union's energy supply , promote energy efficiency, save energy, develop renewable energy sources and promote the interconnection of all energy sources. This thesis aims to explore the foundations of the promotion of renewable energy in the context of free movement of goods and to discuss the matter of dispute in applicable law. The compatibility between EU law and national subsidy schemes for renewable energy has become a fierce topic of controversy . For a long period, this debate concentrated on EU state aid law . However, recently the debate has centralized on the compatibility between national renewable energy subsidy schemes and the fundamental principle of the free movement of goods. This dissertation aims to reveal the contradictions of EU legislation, which is characterized by opposite trends of coherence and divergence. Examples from the CJEU case - law on national energy - related measures that were considered to be in breach of the provisions of the TFEU on the free movement o f goods will be illustrated. What are the conditions that a national measure must meet in order not to breach EU law? What is the attitude of the CJEU in relation to environmental protection as a justification for a national measure which, in principle, is contrary to the provisions on the free movement of goods? What is the difference between secondary law and recent CJEU case law and the provisions of the TFEU on the free movement of goods on the prohibition of discrimination based on the origin of goods? The position of the CJEU on national renewable energy systems will be clarified .