At the end of the meeting of Member States’ Energy Ministers on Wednesday 4 December, it was not clear that the Member States’ final energy/climate plans (NECPs) would meet the European Union's energy efficiency and renewable energy targets.
“Many Member States highlighted new measures during the debates. However, it is clear that achieving the energy efficiency objective remains a difficult task for the EU”, acknowledged Hanna Kosonen, Finnish Minister of Science and Culture, who chaired the ‘Energy’ Council.
During the discussions, the European Commission stressed the importance of continuing the efforts already made by most Member States since their last meeting on 24 September (see EUROPE 12334/1).
The Commission is concerned that these may not be sufficient to meet the EU’s energy targets for 2030 (increasing the share of renewable energy to a minimum of 32% and improving energy efficiency by at least 32.5%).
Indeed, although less so, gaps remain between planned national contributions and the EU’s energy objectives, according to the Commission’s latest analyses. While the Commission’s assessment of NECP projects published in June revealed gaps of 6.2% in the case of energy efficiency and 1.6% in the case of renewable energy (see EUROPE 12277/4), they are now reportedly around 4 to 5% and over 1% respectively.
However, at the meeting, several Member States announced a further increase in their ambitions for their final NECPs, which are to be sent to the Commission before the end of the year.
The Greek minister, for example, assured that his country’s NECP, currently being finalised, was much more ambitious than the previous one in January. The minister announced an increase from 31% to 37% in the share of renewable energies in the Greek energy mix, thanks in particular to the end of the use of lignite in electricity production by 2028.
Following in his footsteps, the Czech minister announced an increase in his country’s overall renewable energy targets to 22%.
Spain is very ambitious, estimating that 42% of its final energy will come from renewable sources and that energy efficiency in the country will have been improved by 39.5% by 2030.
Like Spain, Lithuania has announced an increase in its energy efficiency ambitions. According to the Lithuanian Minister of Energy, the country will be able to reduce its energy needs by one fifth by 2030.
While Poland had indicated that it would not increase its targets at the previous ‘Energy’ Council in September, it subsequently stated that, according to its analysis, its target of 21% renewable energy could be increased by 2 percentage points, provided that it receives additional European funding.
It remains to be seen whether these final efforts will be sufficient to achieve the EU’s energy objectives, which should be revealed in the Commission’s forthcoming evaluation of the NECPs. (Original version in French by Damien Genicot)