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EU energy rules – Parliament calls for greater ambition ahead of upcoming review

EU energy rules

Parliament calls for greater ambition ahead of upcoming review

PRESS RELEASE – Brussels, 23 June 2016

The European Parliament today adopted two reports setting out its assessment of how the EU’s laws on energy efficiency and renewable energy are being implemented. The Greens welcomed the votes, which called for more ambition, ahead of reviews of the legislation expected to be presented by the European Commission before the end of this year. Commenting after the votes, Green energy spokesperson Benedek Javor said:

“The European Parliament has today set down a marker ahead of the forthcoming reviews of the EU legislation on energy efficiency and renewable energy. If the EU is to take its responsibility in delivering on the Paris UN climate deal, it will have to increase the ambition of its energy and climate goals. This would also bring clear economic benefits and create sustainable jobs in Europe. The EP has today sent out a strong call to increase the ambition of the EU’s energy targets and to ensure proper binding rules for meeting these targets.

“Crucially, MEPs have highlighted that the frontline in delivering on the EU’s energy and climate goals must be energy efficiency and saving. They have called for the EU’s 2030 energy efficiency target to finally be made binding and to be increased to 40% (up from the 27% suggested by Council). This is essential for delivering European energy security, reducing our energy imports as well as tackling the problem of energy poverty.

“Parliament has also called for a strengthening of the 2030 EU renewable energy target to 30% (up from the 27% suggested by Council) and for this to be delivered through binding national binding targets. This is the model that proved successful in the expansion of renewables to date.  The current overall ‘headline target’ for 2030 is little more than an aspirational goal, with no binding provisions on individual EU member states. This is a major step back for the promotion of renewables, which undermines the economic and employment creation potential of the sector, and which must be addressed. MEPs also called for the creation of clear rights for those who generate and consumer their own renewable energy, whilst strengthening the role of local and regional authorities in the energy transition, which is crucial to its success.

“Commission must now take these votes on board and ensure its proposals for reviewing the current legislation reflect the call for greater ambition.”

(1) The Greens last year outlined their proposals on what Europe’s energy union should look like. The paper and a short overview can be found at: http://www.greens-efa.eu/a-green-energy-union-13369.html

 

(Image source: greens-efa.eu)

EU summit; Flagship energy union project risks being stillborn

EU heads of state and government will meet for a summit on Thursday and Friday, with proposals for a European energy union and relations with Russia at the top of the agenda. Ahead of the summit, Greens/EFA co-presidents Rebecca Harms and Philippe Lamberts said:

“The energy union should be a flagship project for Europe over the coming years but there is a real risk it will be stillborn, as EU leaders look set to strip it of any convincing future-oriented approach. Leaked drafts of the ‘conclusions’ to be adopted by heads of state and government indicate the overarching focus is on finding new supply routes for gas and reviving nuclear power, rather than trying to wean us off our damaging dependence on unreliable fossil fuel exporting countries. If the EU wants to get serious about energy security, it should be working together to prioritise energy efficiency and home-grown renewable energy as the first line of defence. Instead, this energy union seems to be placating vested interests in the energy sector.


“Despite 2015 being a make or break year for the international climate negotiations, EU leaders look set to simply kick the can down the road. The clock is ticking quickly down towards the crunch UN climate summit in Paris in December (COP21) but EU governments clearly do not seem to care about adopting a proactive approach to ensure the EU plays a role in securing a positive outcome: an ambitious global agreement to limit warming to below 2 degrees, which is necessary to prevent catastrophic climate change.


“Yet again, EU governments are using the very prominent stage of an EU summit to highlight their disunity on Russia. This division, whether as regards to sanctions or other issues, completely undermines the ability of the EU to help support pluralism and fundamental rights in Russia and to shape an outcome to the crisis in Ukraine in the interest of the Ukrainian people. In terms of the outcome of the Minsk negotiations, it is not yet the moment for the EU to scale down sanctions on Russia. Until there is no control of the Russia-Ukraine border in the Donbass region, there is no stability.”

Press release – Brussels, 18 March 2015 (The Greens,EFA)

Stop fracking!

Couple of days ago, members of the Green group showed their support for protesters against fracking in Lancashire.

As known, Cuadrilla, a shale gas company has applied to drill wells in two locations in Lancashire, which besides causing a massive increase in noise and leading to higher traffic would also mean a potential threat to public health by causing air and water pollution. While the British government shows full support for the drilling project, protests against it have also ensued and now might result in some success: the county’s council officers also raised their concerns about the increase in noise and traffic, which might lead to the refusal of the project.

bence against fracking