As the head of a small Belgian company making and recycling batteries for European clients, Rahul Gopalakrishnan is at the vanguard of the continent's dash for green growth. But even on what is one of the 27-member European Union's flagship policy goals, Gopalakrishnan is concerned that reality for businesses like his Avesta Battery & Energy Engineering (ABEE) group does not match the ambition. "Europe always has this ability to shoot itself in the foot," the 37-year-old Indian told Reuters, adding he was not getting enough state support to combat Chinese rivals and also had to grapple with rules like a proposed EU ban on "forever chemicals" - a type of pollutant used in lithium-ion batteries.