Heuking Kühn Lüer Wojtek and the Swiss World Trade Institute (WTI) advise on state support for energy from renewable sources in Switzerland

The Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE) has published a study on possible options for Switzerland with regard to the promotion of electricity from renewable energy sources. The paper discusses three options, namely a CO2 levy, an electricity tax and import duties on electric power from fossil fuels and nuclear energy.

The paper covers aspects of WTO law, EU law and the bilateral Free Trade Agreement between Switzerland and the European Union. One of the main conclusions is that a dif-ferentiated treatment of "green" electricity may be possible, but a discrimination against energy imports could possibly give rise to certain legal concerns. The study is a joint project of the renowned World Trade Institute – WTI in Berne, Switzerland and the Brussels office of Heuking Kühn Lüer Wojtek.

Attorney Simon Hirsbrunner, LL.M., Head of the Brussels office of Heuking Kühn Lüer Wojtek and Prof. Dr. Thomas Cottier, Managing Director of the WTI have been jointly responsible for the scientific coordination of the project. Dr. Ilaria Espa, Dr. Kateryna Holzer and Tetyana Payosova, all research fellows at the WTI, have also been part of the team.

The study can be found on the website of the Swiss Federal Office of Energy.