Nicosia, 17/09/2012 (Agence Europe) - Committed to bringing the share of renewables in their energy production to 20% by 2020, the EU27 are still on course to reach their objective and to use more green energy in the long term. To this end, the member states are ready to improve their aid schemes for the development of renewables, and to strengthen their cooperation.
Meeting on Monday 17 September under the Cypriot presidency, as part of the informal discussions in Nicosia, European energy ministers brought their backing to the orientations given by the European Commission at the beginning of June to the support for the development of renewable energy by, and beyond, 2020 (see EUROPE 10628). “The conclusions of our discussions seem positive to me. The member states have today confirmed their determination to reach their national objectives by 2020 and agreed on the need to ensure continuity in the political decisions taken with a view to 2050. Objectives beyond 2020 will be needed”, the Cypriot minister, Neoklis Sylikiotis, said. The Cypriot Presidency will work on the conclusions, which it will submit to the Energy Council on 3 December. “The development of renewables is a common goal”, said Energy Commissioner Gunther Oettinger, who is “sure” that the 2020 objective will be met.
For the EU to reach its binding objective of a 20% share of renewable energy by 2020, and to guarantee the continued existence of renewable energy expansion, the Commission calls, in its press release of 6 June, for the convergence of national support schemes via their coordinated reform, and increased green energy trading between member states. The Commission also wants to give more stability to the regulatory framework governing renewable energy's development in order to guarantee predictability for investors.
The delegations' opinions converged with the Commission document on the four main domains listed for effort. In first place, member states should pursue the completion of the single energy market and plan for stimuli to investment in order to ensure the smooth integration of renewables. For the support schemes the member states should pursue approaches which encourage cost-reductions and avoid over-compensation. Oettinger said that it was important to emphasise profitability, and avoid outmoded and inefficient measures. He supported strengthening coordination between member states to ensure the convergence of their support schemes.
The member states should also have more recourse to the cooperation mechanisms planned in the “renewables” directive, which enable them to achieve their national binding objectives by trading renewable energy among themselves or with third countries. A member state can, for example, buy wind or solar energy from another member state or a third country - this energy being less expensive for the country than the solar or wind production on its own territory.
Finally, member states should strengthen their cooperation with the Mediterranean countries, where an integrated market, in the Maghreb for example, would facilitate large scale investment in a region and the EU could import renewable electricity. Saying that this chapter is a priority of his presidency, Sylikiotis stressed the need for greater cooperation between the EU and the neighbouring countries of Cyprus, Israel, Lebanon, Jordan and Egypt. (EH/transl.fl)