Europe - EU Council calls for strong 2030 renewables framework

It should be developed with the assumption that substantially higher shares of renewables, increased energy efficiency and infrastructure reinforcement are key in all circumstances, ministers said.

“The Council recognised the need for ensuring continuity and stability for Europe’s renewable energy sector so that it continues to grow up to 2030 and beyond, and did so by calling for a solid and effective post-2020 framework”, commented Rainer Hinrichs-Rahlwes, President of the European Renewable Energy Council (EREC).

“This sets the right conditions for the Commission to now start work on an ambitious 2030 renewables target, and we hope that the upcoming report from the European Parliament on ‘Current challenges and opportunities for renewable energy on the European energy market’ will echo this”, said Hinrichs-Rahlwes.

EREC is calling for a binding 45% renewable energy target for 2030. A 2030 renewable energy target is supported by Climate Action Commissioner Hedegaard, and Energy Commissioner Oettinger had called for a decision on such a target to be taken by 2014.

The Member States also acknowledge that more attention should be paid to the widely untapped potential of renewables in the heating and cooling sector. “As part of its work on the 2030 framework, the Commission should assess the potential of renewable heating and cooling technologies in a dedicated EU action plan”, added Josche Muth, Secretary General of EREC.

“The renewables industry is pleased that Member States understand that substantially higher shares of renewables, increased efficiency and infrastructure reinforcement need to play a key role in Europe’s energy system”, said Muth. At the end of last year, the European Commission had identified renewables, efficiency and infrastructure as the common elements across different “decarbonisation scenarios” that needed to be promoted in all cases as the so-called “no-regrets” options.

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