An Extraordinary General Assembly of the European Renewable Energy Council (EREC) taking place in Brussels on 6th March decided the “voluntary” dissolution of the non-profit organisation after over a decade of existence.

“Yesterday, EREC was forced to decide to go into liquidation mainly due to its high liabilities arising from its lease obligations for the three large office buildings which make up the Renewable Energy House, 63-67 rue d’Arlon in Brussels – despite all our efforts to find and negotiate a viable solution for EREC”, declared Rainer Hinrichs-Rahlwes, President of the European Renewable Energy Council (EREC).

The Renewable Energy House (REH) was inaugurated in 2006 as a showcase for sustainable energy with EREC as the main tenant of all three buildings until 2032. This was the result of a challenging project proposal by HRH Prince Laurent of Belgium the previous year: to turn a then 140 year old neoclassical building into a living renewable energy and energy efficiency showcase in the heart of Brussels.

“It is therefore particularly regrettable and somewhat ironic that the lease agreement of the building has now turned out to be the cause of the demise of the organisation that the REH was intended to serve”, said Hinrichs-Rahlwes.

“The ultimately inevitable dissolution of EREC could not come at a more inappropriate time”, added Hinrichs-Rahlwes. “Without a strong sense of collaboration, the European renewable energy sector will lose ground to competing and ever more desperate fossil fuel and nuclear industries and their lobbies”, warned Hinrichs-Rahlwes.