FILE - In this June 29, 2011 file photo a car passes by a biogas plant and windmills near Nauen, Germany. Chancellor Angela Merkel vowed to defend German jobs as the European Union’s executive launched an investigation Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2013, into whether German companies that use large amounts of electricity get unfair discounts. Hundreds of German companies have been largely exempt from a surcharge on electricity bills used to promote renewable energy sources such as solar and wind, which other consumers pay. (AP Photo/Ferdinand Ostrop)