Brussels, 11 May 2007

Brussels, 22 May 2007 – Euro Coop, the European Community of Consumer Co-operatives, welcomes the adoption by the European Parliament (EP) of a written declaration on establishing a green hydrogen economy and a third industrial revolution in Europe through a partnership with committed regions and cities, SMEs and civil society organisations.

“We have been among the first organisations supporting this important declaration and we are therefore happy to learn that it has been finally adopted with a good consensus within the EP - commented Euro Coop Policy Adviser Rosita Zilli after the President of the European Parliament Hans-Gert Pöttering announced at the beginning of the session in Strasbourg yesterday, that with more than half of all MEPs signing the declaration it had been adopted.

“Energy efficiency, the increasing reduction of greenhouse emissions and a higher production of electricity from renewable energy sources have been a shared priority of the European consumer co-operatives for a long time and therefore, for us, this is a decision going in the right direction” – she continued.

Rosita Zilli then added that “we also consider as being of the utmost interest the establishment of a hydrogen fuel-cell technology to store renewable energies and the creation of smart power grids to produce and share energy in accordance with the same open-access principles as apply to the internet now. These two achievements would be in line with the democratic principles on which the consumer co-operative movement bases its philosophy and would result into a big progress for consumers”.

Euro Coop now calls on the European Commission as well as the EU Member States to actively follow up to this declaration by taking it into due consideration when elaborating future policies on energy and climate change and thereby contributing to a more sustainable society.

Euro Coop is the European Community of Consumer Cooperatives, whose members are the national organisations of consumer cooperatives in 17 European countries. Created in 1957, EURO COOP today represents over 3,200 local and regional cooperatives, the members of which amount to more than 22 million consumers across Europe.

For further information, please contact:

Rosita Zilli, Policy Officer, Euro Coop
Tel: +32 (0)2 285 00 72 - Fax: +32 (0)2 231 07 57
E-mail: Rzilliateurocoop.coop