Around 100 organisations signed a joint declaration calling on European and national policy makers to accelerate the adoption of electricity from renewable sources as an energy source, on Wednesday 6 November, at an event entitled "Powering the European Green deal" in Brussels.
From both industry and civil society, these organisations are advocating that "clean and smart electrification", should be at the heart of the European Green Deal. They believe that increasing the integration of renewable electricity into the heating, cooling and transport sectors is the "most cost-effective and energy-efficient strategy to deliver a climate-neutral Europe" and "will bring significant benefits for European citizens and the economy".
"Electrification is the most important solution to turn the vision of a fossil-free Europe into reality", said Magnus Hall, President of Eurelectric, an association representing the electricity industry and one of the organisations that signed the declaration. And Laurence Tubiana, CEO of the European Climate Foundation and another signatory to the text, added: "Electrification must be the dominant way forward in the clean energy transition - and European companies are ready to pave the way".
According to these organisations, electrification has many advantages. In particular, it can significantly reduce Europe's weekly bill of €5 billion for fuel imports, thus contributing to strengthening European energy independence, reducing energy consumption by four to eight times and addressing the health risks associated with poor air quality.
Among the ten requests in the declaration, the organisations call on the EU to ensure sufficient funding in the European budget to support the least developed regions and Member States in the field of renewable energy, in particular by ensuring that the Just Transition Fund promised by Ursula von der Leyen has a significant amount.
To consult the joint statement: https://bit.ly/2NoCMUg (Original version in French by Damien Genicot)