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European Council needs to rework Commission’s proposals

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Harmeet
New Update

EUROPE: Despite the many voices that have called for an ambitious and meaningful renewable energy target for 2030, including eight Member States, the European Parliament as well as numerous businesses and NGOs, the European Commission has decided to release on 22 January 2014 a disappointing proposal for a Climate and Energy framework for 2030.

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The Commission's proposal, including a binding greenhouse gas emissions reduction target of 40 percent and a supposedly binding EU-wide target of 27 percent for renewable energy, is indeed falling far below the adequate level of ambition.

While the binding and ambitious 2020 target for renewables proved to be a success story, initiating massive costs reduction and technology leadership in Europe, a 27 percent renewables target by 2030 would barely represent more than the Commission's business-as-usual scenario.

In addition, the Commission proposal lacks a binding national breakdown of the EU-wide target, leaving it up to Member States to make their own commitment towards renewable energy. Unless the approach is substantially improved and clarified, it would make the achievement of Europe's target entirely dependent on fluctuating national political wills. Such level of uncertainty is of course not enough to provide the stability and predictability investors need.

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In order to stimulate investments in renewables, to put Europe on track for a cost-effective and sustainable energy supply and to contribute to the economic recovery of the continent, the European Council now needs to rework the Commission's proposals. The renewables target has to be significantly increased and it needs to come along with the necessary binding national breakdown to make things happen.

In this regard, the recent vote in plenary session of the European Parliament is an important signal. By calling for a binding target of - at least - 30 percent of renewables in final energy consumption by 2030, members of the Parliament are confirming what citizens have repeatedly called for in opinion surveys: An energy system based on more renewables.

EPIA is now looking forward to cooperating with national governments to ensure that they will support European Parliament's approach, raise the level of ambition of the Commission's proposal and make this supposedly binding target meaningful, by turning it into real national binding targets.

EPIA, in coalition with other important stakeholders, will continue to promote a truly ambitious climate and energy policy framework for 2030 that is based on mutually-reinforcing and binding targets for renewable energy, greenhouse gas reductions and energy efficiency.

The author is Policy Director, EPIA.

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