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| NEWS |
| 14-03-2007 |
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European leaders back 20% from renewables |
BRUSSELS, Belgium, March 14, 2007. Member countries of the European Union have endorsed a binding target of 20% of overall energy consumption on the continent to come from renewables by 2020.
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“The European Council is aware of the growing demand for energy and increasing energy prices as well as of the benefits of strong and early common international action on climate change, is confident that a substantive development of energy efficiency and of renewable energies will enhance energy security, curb the projected rise in energy prices and reduce GHG emissions in line with the EU's ambitions for the period beyond 2012, and underlines that the energy savings objective and targets for renewables and biofuels referred to below should be achieved with a view to sharing efforts and benefits fairly and equitably among all member states, taking into account different national circumstances, starting points and potentials,” concludes the spring council session of the EU.
The leaders stressed the need to increase energy efficiency to achieve the objective of saving 20% of the EU's energy consumption compared to projections for 2020, and called for a “rapid implementation of the ambitious five main priorities” in energy-efficient transport, minimum efficiency requirements for energy-using equipment, energy-efficient and energy-saving behaviour of energy consumers, energy technology and innovations and the energy savings from buildings.
While sourcing 20% of energy from renewables, a minimum 10% binding target will be achieved by all countries for the share of biofuels in overall EU transport petrol and diesel consumption by 2020 “to be introduced in a cost-efficient way.” The binding aspect of this target is subject to production being sustainable, second-generation biofuels becoming commercially available and a directive being amended to allow for adequate levels of blending.
“From the overall renewables target, differentiated national overall targets should be derived with member states' full involvement with due regard to a fair and adequate allocation taking account of different national starting points and potentials, including the existing level of renewable energies and energy mix and, subject to meeting the minimum biofuels target in each member state, leaving it to member states to decide on national targets for each specific sector of renewable energies (electricity, heating and cooling, biofuels),” it explains.
“The European Council reaffirms the Community's long-term commitment to the EU-wide development of renewable energies beyond 2010, underlines that all types of renewable energies, when used in a cost-efficient way, contribute simultaneously to security of supply, competitiveness and sustainability, and is convinced of the paramount importance of giving a clear signal to industry, investors, innovators and researchers,” it continues. It calls for “an overall coherent framework for renewable energies which could be established on the basis of a Commission proposal in 2007 for a new comprehensive directive on the use of all renewable energy resources.”
The proposal calls for National Action Plans with sectoral targets and measures to meet them, and criteria and provisions to ensure sustainable production and use of bioenergy and to avoid conflicts between different uses of biomass. It invites the Commission to analyse the potential of cross-border and EU-wide synergies and of interconnections for reaching the overall renewable energy target, and invites the EC to work with countries to develop renewable energies.
“Recognizing the need to strengthen energy research in particular to accelerate the competitiveness of sustainable energies, notably renewables, and low carbon technologies and the further development of energy efficiency technologies, the European Council welcomes the Commission's intention to table a European Strategic Energy Technology Plan during 2007 for consideration at the latest by the 2008 Spring European Council,” it adds. The document also addresses the need for improvements in generation efficiency and clean fossil fuel technologies, research into carbon capture and sequestration, emissions trading and other energy components.
“Member states are determined to promote eco-innovations through an ambitious approach, taking full advantage of lead markets in areas such as sustainable and safe low carbon technologies, renewable energies and energy and resource efficiency,” and the document fixes “highly ambitious quantified targets on energy efficiency, renewable energies and the use of biofuels and calls for a European Strategic Energy Technology plan, including environmentally safe carbon capture and sequestration, to be examined at the Spring 2008 European Council meeting.”
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