Vernunftkraft Odenwald e.V.

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No longer registered as of 20 Oct 2022 - Registration as it was on 13 May 2022
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Overview

Lobbying Costs

10,000€

Financial year: Jan 2021 - Dec 2021

Lobbyists (Full time equivalent)

4 Fte (8)

Lobbyists with EP accreditation

0

High-level Commission meetings

0

Lobbying Costs over the years

  • Info

    Vernunftkraft Odenwald e.V.   (VkO)

    EU Transparency Register

    597848518285-91 First registered on 23 Jul 2015

    Goals / Remit

    Preserve countryside local landscape with emphasis on preserving woods, natural habitats and animal life for the benefit of people living in the region and visitors seeking relaxation and health. Stop the uncoordinated and overwhelming increase in Wind Turbines; 2020: more than 30.000 in Germany. Plans by DENA (German Energy Agency) are to increase this number to 150.000 until the year 2050 which means there hardly remain livable areas for people and wildlife. The windparks are concentrated preferably in the countryside, very often on wood covered hills, thus reducing the area for recreation and health and also the habitats of protected species like Birds (e.g. Red Milan, Black Stork, Buzzards) and Bats substantially.This development has to be stopped. Prices for Electricity go up constantly in Germany (presently 32 Ct./kWh compared to 18 Ct./kWh in 2004) and are still rising. Germanys Electricity Prices are the highest worldwide. An effect on CO2 Emissions is not observed.

    Main EU files targeted

    EU-initiatives observed or followed by Vernunftkraft Odenwald e.V.

    EU implementation of the Aarhus Convention in the area of access to justice in environmental matters
    https://ec.europa.eu/info/law/better-regulation/initiatives/ares-2018-2432060_en

    Environmental crime - reviewing the EU rules
    https://ec.europa.eu/info/law/better-regulation/initiatives/ares-2018-4981980_en

    EU farm policy – evaluation of its impact on habitats, landscapes and biodiversity
    https://ec.europa.eu/info/law/better-regulation/initiatives/ares-2018-5223823_en

    Sustainable batteries – EU requirements
    https://ec.europa.eu/info/law/better-regulation/initiatives/ares-2018-5951053_en

    Noise
    Environmental noise pollution relates to noise caused by road, rail and airport traffic, industry, construction, as well as some other outdoor activities.
    Prolonged exposure to noise can lead to serious health effects mediated by the human endocrine system and by the brain, such as sleep disturbance, cardiovascular diseases, annoyance (a feeling of discomfort affecting general well-being), cognitive impairment and mental health problems. It can also cause direct effects such as tinnitus.
    The effects of exposure to noise impact EU economies. They lead to a loss of productivity of workers whose health and well-being are affected by noise, put a burden on health care systems and cause a substantial depreciation of real-estate value.
    For questions and comments, please write to env-noise@ec.europa.eu.
    https://ec.europa.eu/info/events/noise-europe-2017-apr-24_en

    Address

    Head Office
    Bürgermeister-Dörr-Straße 9
    Höchst im Odenwald 64739
    GERMANY
    EU Office
    Bürgermeister-Dörr-Straße 9
    Höchst im Odenwald 64739
    GERMANY

    Website

  • People

    Total lobbyists declared

    8

    Employment timeLobbyists
    50%8

    Lobbyists (Full time equivalent)

    4

    Lobbyists with EP accreditation

    No lobbyists with EP accreditations

    Complementary Information

    Description of members:
    Vernunftkraft Odenwald e.V. is a registered association of Persons with leadership experience in different professions, active or retired; (law, technical expertise, expertise in public relations, business consulting, politics). VKO is a registered association since 15. August 2016 under the number VR 83873 at district court in Darmstadt, Germany in the register of associations.
    Vernunfkraft Odenwald. e.V. has the fiscal status of public benefit.

    Person in charge of EU relations

    Data not provided by Register Secretariat due to GDPR

    Person with legal responsibility

    Data not provided by Register Secretariat due to GDPR

  • Categories

    Category

    Non-governmental organisations, platforms and networks and similar

  • Networking

    Affiliation

    http://www.vernunftkraft-hessen.de

    https://www.vernunftkraft.de/bundesinitiative

    Member organisations

    None declared

  • Financial Data

    Interests represented

    Promotes their own interests or the collective interests of their members

    Closed financial year

    Jan 2021 - Dec 2021

    Lobbying costs for closed financial year

    10,000€

    Major contributions in closed year

    None declared

    Intermediaries for closed year

    None declared

    Intermediaries for current year

    None declared

    Closed year Costs

    0€ - 10,000€

    Other financial info

    None declared

  • EU Structures

    Groups (European Commission)

    none

    Groups (European Parliament)

    N/A

    Communication activities

    Develop written informational material (booklets/flyers), organize local public meetings with political representants.
    Organize public decisions according to HGO §8 b (hessische Gemeindeordnung). Attend supraregional events of the matter and give informational speeches and presentations. Visit national events of said matters. Participate in EU public consultations. Organize informational meetings aboutthe subject, organize Demonstrations.

    Info: 16. November 2016 an official complaint was filed (CHAP(2016)03537) to the EU-Commission due to breaking of EU-law by the Regierungspräsidium Darmstadt which stated officially that a mandatory FFH-compliance-examination was not performed due to the involved costs and time.

    The complaint was rejected by the EU commission at 2.9.2019, almost 3 years after it was filed.


    Subject: Approval Procedure according to BImSchG for 5
    Windturbines at "Greiner Eck", Neckarsteinach
    FFH = Flora Fauna Habitat

    Interestingly enough, the EUGH meanwhile filed a law suit against the Bundesrepublik Deutschland for not following EU-rules concerning FFH guidelines:

    https://ec.europa.eu/germany/news/20210218-kommission-verklagt-deutschland_de

    The case was finally decided the 4. of march 2021, EuGH (C-473/19 und C-474/19)

    Other activities

    Goals of the Organization:

    1. Disestablish the EEG* and revert to an efficient European emission trade system. No more “special german way” in Climate Protection. The System of “State directed energy economy” by compulsory levies from electricity consumers shall be changed to a market based system. A thorough and open presentation of Costs and Risks of the “German Energiewende” to all European countries is of outmost priority. See Statement of the "Bundesrechnungshof": "In den letzten fünf Jahren wurden für die Energiewende mindestens 160 Mrd. Euro aufgewendet. Steigen die Kosten der Energiewende weiter und werden ihre Ziele weiterhin verfehlt, besteht das Risiko des Vertrauensverlustes in die Fähigkeit von Regierungshandeln. Aus Sicht des Bundesrechnungshofes sind entscheidende Verbesserungen bei der Koordination und Steuerung der Energiewende unumgänglich. Anderenfalls könnte in der deutschen und der internationalen Öffentlichkeit der Eindruck entstehen, Deutschland sei nicht imstande, die gesamtgesellschaftlich und langfristig angelegte Energiewende erfolgreich zu gestalten und umzusetzen."

    2. For the erection of Wind Turbines, the same approval procedures than for other industrial projects have to be applied. The privileged approval procedures by § 35, 1, BauGesetzBuch (Building Law Summary) have to be disestablished because of the unproportionally negative consequences.
    Furthermore, the compliance of erection of Wind turbines with the german constitution article 20a is highly questionable and will be subject to a complaint at the Bundesverfassungsgericht soon.

    3. Intact forested areas like the Odenwald - now UNESCO Global Geopark - shall be completely free from Windturbines, as well as areas with prominent settings of cultural heritage. The impact of already realized and furthermore planned development on forested low mountain ranges in Germany can only be described as ecologically catastrophic. The combined impacts on soil, hydrology, fauna and flora, on landscape aesthetics, on recreation and nature experience value as well as direct effects on peoples health through hearable/non hearable noise, shadow effects and flashing light at night are enormous.

    4. The local negative economic impact is of the same magnitude. Value of tourism for the regions is severely degraded. In areas like Hunsrück in Rheinland-Pfalz, tourism declined by more than 7% in 2014, threatening the survival of related businesses. House and lot values near Windturbines decrease in value by 30-70%, sometimes to a point where sale is impossible. Surrounding densely populated urban areas lose their recreation areas: People living in an urban environment just will see an industrially formed landscape instead of Nature and peaceful small scale agricultural environment typical for the Odenwald.

    5. Stop the EEG-version which will possibly come into effect by January 2021 because of the undemocratic and false §1 (5): Die Errichtung von Anlagen zur Erzeugung von Strom aus erneuerbaren Energien liegt im öffentlichen Interesse und dient der öffentlichen Sicherheit. “
    ("The erection of capacities for production of renewable energy lies in the public interest and serves the public security)

    EEG* = Erneuerbare Energien Gesetz (Renewable Energy Law)

  • Meetings

    Meetings

    None declared

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