Ministers from eight European Union member states have urged the European Commission to include a ‘robust’ renewable energy target in its 2030 energy and climate plan.
The eight energy ministers sent a letter to EU commissioner for climate action Connie Hedegaard and energy commissioner Gunther Oettinger at the end of December stating that a 2030 renewable energy target would be the ‘no regrets option’ for the EU’s energy system.
This comes amid reports that the EC is considering only a 2030 greenhouse gas emissions target and no binding renewable energy or energy efficiency targets.
The ministers, from Germany, France, Italy, Denmark, Belgium, Austria, Ireland and Portugal, who represent around half of the EU’s population said a renewable energy target would “strengthen European competitiveness and lead to more jobs and growth”.
A leaked EU report claimed that half a million green jobs could be at risk if the target was not implemented.
In the letter ministers also argued the target would be essential for strengthening the European internal energy market.
The argument is that renewable energy will reduce the EU’s reliance on energy imports but work most efficiently when deployed on an EU wide basis.
This would allow the grid to be developed to minimise costs to the consumer as the wind is usually blowing, or the sun shining, somewhere in Europe.
Britain’s energy secretary, Ed Davey, recently argued that greater interconnection between countries was a solution to higher energy prices.
The ministers called for the EC to “draw lessons from past experience” that the binding renewable energy target to 2020 has been successful, and therefore a 2030 target was needed, along with an ambitious greenhouse gas emissions one, to drive the further deployment of renewable energy in Europe.
Renewable energy has been responsible for 40-50 per cent of carbon savings made in Europe between 2008-2012, according to environment consultancy CDC Climat Research.
The EC is due to publish its white paper on 2030 targets on January 22.
The paper will then be discussed at the spring summit of EU governments in March 2014, where it the targets could be agreed, or these issues could be decided in June at another summit.
It will be left to the new EC, in November this year, to move the discussion forwards and start drafting legislative proposals.
In related news, eight energy companies, Gamesa, Acciona Energía, Alstom, Dong Energy, EnBW, ERG, Res and Vestas, recently called for a European target of more than 30 per cent of energy coming from renewable sources.
The firms, which represent 176,000 jobs and over €250 billion annual turnover, said: “It will bring down our energy and electricity bills, and help remove the need for renewable energy support in future.”
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