ENGLAND: The European Union has been criticised for its decision to give the government of Belgium control of a company that makes the electricity that powers Europe’s electric grids.
The company is Ebs, the European subsidiary of Belgium’s EDF.
But as a result of a legal dispute between Ebs and the Belgian government, Ebs will be run by Belgium’s own state, which has given it control of its European operations.
The new Belgian government said Ebs was to be “part of the ETS (European Union) and it was therefore in the interests of both EBS and the EFS (European Energy Union) that EBS should continue to be part of ETS”.
The Belgian government says Ebs has been in operation since 1995 and that it will continue to operate under the EBS name.
Ebs is based in the Netherlands and was established in 2009.
It provides electricity and gas to almost 10,000 homes and businesses across Belgium and France.
Belgium, the EU’s biggest economy, is also the world leader in renewables, with more than 5,500 megawatts of renewable energy installed.
But critics say Ebs’ management of EFS, the bloc’s biggest energy supplier, means the Belgian energy system has become reliant on Ebs.
The European Commission, the executive arm of the EU, has been investigating the issue and has recommended that Ebs be given full control over its EFS operations.
In a statement on Friday, EBS said: “We are committed to the long-term sustainability of Ebs operations.
The EU has also informed us that EBs management has not been in compliance with the directive governing the energy industry.”
The company said it was taking steps to ensure the safety and security of its electricity system.EBS, which operates in the EU and US, has a market value of more than $14 billion, with the European Commission estimating that it is worth more than twice that amount.
