Table 1

1 January 2000

Table 1: Financial and administrative obstacles to small hydro in the European UnionSource: Date from the European Small Hydropower Association

Member state	Time taken to obtain a licence	Fees for the use of water
Austria	1 year plus	No fee
Belgium	NA	Yes
Denmark	Almost impossible	No fee
France	6 years	No fee
Germany	6-24 months	No fee
Greece	3-5 years	Yes, for use of water reserve and supplying small hydro
Ireland	1 year	No fee
Italy	4-8 years	No fee
Netherlands	10 years	No fee
Portugal	9-12 years	No fee
Spain	6-10 years	No fee
Sweden	2-7 years	No fee
United Kingdom	5-8 years	No fee for <5MW; small charges for 5-10MW
Bulgaria	NA	Yes
Czech Republic	1-2 years	No fee
Estonia	1-2 years	No fee
Hungary	12-15 months	NA
Latvia	18 months	NA
Lithuania	18-36 months	No fee
Poland	1-8 years	Usually no fee, but some charges for state owned territory covered by water.
Romania	1 year	No fee
Slovakia	2 years	Yes, according to production
Slovenia	2 years	Yes

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