Of course. And in the same vein, back on this side of the Rhine river: Sakozy's pal Henri Proglio wants to jam yet another electricity rate increase down the French people, all in the name of "subsidizing the renewable energies":

Solar power may cause French electricity price rise | RFI

Renewable energy is a budget burden for France's energy company EDF, and the industry's rapid-fire growth is only adding to the strain.

EDF's mission has long been to support sustainable producers by buying at prices set by the government. But the industry's success has seen costs skyrocket - and the government in turn has cut subsidies.

Les Echos on Tuesday reported that EDF chief Henri Proglio wrote a letter to French Energy Minister Jean-Louis Borloo warning that EDF's 2009 budget gap of 1.6 billion euros stands to increase to 2.6 billion by the end 2010.

He added that this could exceed 15 billion after 2015.

Somebody has to cover the costs of renewable industry development - and the National Assembly's Finance Commission is proposing that private power bills should bear the shortfall.

Europeans think a hundred miles is a long way. Americans think a hundred years is a long time.