Utrecht 11 March 2008 – Leading sustainable energy company Econcern, today won the CMS Business of the Year Award 2008, presented in Paris. The award is part of the European Business Awards, a fully independent program, designed to highlight the importance of regional businesses to the overall economy.

Econcern, with its mission ‘a sustainable energy supply for everyone’, won the award, according to the judging panel, because:

“This business has profitably moved ahead of the pack in a market where returns at the moment are hard to go by. With triple digit growth in a sector that will continue to see significant growth for the foreseeable future, this business has the potential to become a corporate giant in the next ten to twenty years,” stated Robert Derry-Evans, member of the jury and executive partner of CMS. “A key attribute of the company is its ability to remain flexible and agile in order to innovate and deploy new products and solutions quickly in an industry where the pace of technological change is already rapid.”

Econcern’s chairman of the board, Ad van Wijk, has seen his company grow exceptionally in recent years: in 2006, Econcern increased its revenues and profits five fold. The results for 2007 are expected to be double in growth on the previous year.

Econcern is a world leader in offshore wind energy. One of Econcern’s largest projects, the offshore wind farm Q7 (120 megawatt) will be fully operational this summer. Another example is the installation of a wind-biodiesel system on the Caribbean island of Bonaire, so that by 2012 the full electricity supply of the island will be derived from sustainable sources, and will thus make Bonaire a 100% renewable energy island.

The jury, formed of several distinguished European business experts including former president of Bulgaria; President Petar Stoyanov, weigh their judgement on the success, innovation power and business ethics of the entries. A European Advisory Panel of senior executives, economists and top academics, which included; José María Aznar, former Prime Minister of Spain and Wim Kok, former Dutch Prime Minister - contribute to the strategy of The European Business Awards. Their collective business knowledge and wisdom enhances the value of the Awards and makes it a showcase of Europe’s most successful business achievements.