Brussels, 15/12/2015 (Agence Europe) - A few days after the conclusion of a universal climate agreement, the European Parliament on Tuesday 15 December adopted its position on the Energy Union project, one of the main priorities of the mandate of the current European Commission.
The Energy Union must provide the citizens with safe, sustainable and affordable energy, said the MEPs, who adopted by a comfortable majority (403 votes in favour, 177 against and 117 abstentions) the resolution originally steered by Marek Jozef Grobarczyk (ECR, Poland), who has recently been given a ministerial post in the new Polish Conservative government. They rejected all of the amendments tabled at the last minute by the ENF group, which they accused of attempting procedural blocking.
The Parliament recommends that a balance be struck between a better integration of the national markets through interconnections, the gradual decarbonisation of the Union, for instance through increased investments in renewable energies, and improved energy security by diversifying supply (see EUROPE 11437).
Increased ambitions on energy efficiency
In their adoption by a small majority (351 votes in favour, 336 against and 12 abstentions) of a joint amendment by Flavio Zanonato (S&D, Italy) and Morten Helveg Petersen (ALDE, Denmark), the MEPs take note of the “weakness of the climate and energy objectives up to 2030 proposed by the European Council”. They therefore reiterate the EP's calls for binding objectives between now and 2030, aiming to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 40%, a share of at least 30% for renewable energy sources and energy efficiency increased by 40%, to be achieved by means of individual national targets. This provision is to the satisfaction of Claude Turmes (Greens/EFA, Luxembourg), who feels that the European Commission should take account of it when modelling the various energy options. In another joint amendment by the S&D, ALDE, Greens/EFA and EFDD groups, they call upon the Commission to establish “several energy efficiency scenarios between now and 2030, which should include the 40% level set by the Parliament” and upon the “Council, which called for a target of at least 27% across the whole of the Union, to increase its objective in line with that adopted by the Parliament”.
Evzen Tosenovsky (ECR, Czech Republic), who took over the report following Grobarczyk's departure, has disowned the final text. “The 40% binding targets (for energy efficiency) are clearly unacceptable for the vast majority of member states, as they would put them under an enormous pressure”, he said.
In reference to the recent international climate negotiations which led to the Paris Agreement (see EUROPE 11452 and 11453), the European Parliament adopted an amendment by a small majority (356 votes in favour, 331 against and eight abstentions) which was tabled by Turmes, which states that “even if global warming is limited to an average of 2°C, it is not certain that this will avoid serious consequences for the climate”. It goes on to stress that it is “necessary to stop global emissions of CO2 by 2050 or a few years later”. (Original version in French by Mathieu Bion)