On Tuesday 9 April, the European Commission adopted the fourth report on the state of the union of energy, which shows in particular that efforts are still needed to develop renewable energy sources and to save more energy.
Four years after laying the groundwork for this strategy, “the union of energy is a reality”, says the fourth energy report.
The document provides a largely positive assessment of the progress made by the energy union: a comprehensive legally binding framework to achieve the objectives of the Paris Agreement while contributing to the modernisation of the European economy and its industry, clear and ambitious objectives for 2030 in terms of renewable energy and energy efficiency. In addition, the European Commission's vision for 2050 has defined a framework for future climate and energy policy that will put Europe on the path to climate neutrality. In addition, the EU has more than 4 million "green jobs".
The report shows that the EU is on track to meet its 2020 greenhouse gas emission reduction target (i.e. a 20% reduction in emissions by 2020 compared to 1990 levels). From 1990 to 2017, the EU economy grew by 58%, while emissions decreased by 22%, according to preliminary data provided by Member States.
But the Commission stresses the importance of further intensifying efforts to achieve the energy efficiency target set for 2020. The most recent analysis shows that after a gradual decrease between 2007 and 2014, energy consumption has started to increase again in recent years and is slightly above the linear trajectory to reach the 2020 targets.
The strong growth of the renewable energy sector continued, but manifested unevenly. Since 2014, the share of renewable energy in the EU's energy mix has increased considerably, reaching 17.5% in 2017. By 2017, 11 Member States already had a higher share of renewable energy than their 2020 targets. In addition, 21 Member States had reached or exceeded their planned average indicative trajectory. 7 Member States (Belgium, France, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland and Slovenia) needed to step up their efforts to comply with the average trajectory for 2017-2018 by 2020.
Vice-President Maroš Šefčovič, in charge of the Energy Union, noted three major challenges still to be addressed: - the implementation of the Energy Union at national level. The Commission will prepare its recommendations before 30 June in order to allow the final adoption of the national energy and climate plans by the end of this year; - the exploitation of the full potential of a European battery market, which, “thanks to the forecasted surge in electric vehicles, could be worth €250 billion per year from 2025 onwards” (the next European Battery Summit is scheduled for 30 April); - social equity and a just transition. The Commission is working in partnership with 18 coal regions in eight Member States to support a low-carbon, industry-oriented transition while mitigating its social consequences.
“Similarly, we must fight energy poverty, which still affects about 50 million people in Europe”, the Commissioner concluded. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)