Meeting in Brussels on Monday 19 December, the energy ministers of the European Union Member States reached a political agreement (‘general approach’) on the proposed directive to accelerate the deployment of renewable energy in the EU and to raise the renewable energy target.
Based on a draft compromise prepared by the Czech Presidency of the EU Council (see EUROPE 13080/34), Member States agreed to increase the EU’s target for the share of renewable energy in the energy mix to 40% by 2030, 5% less than the position of the Commission and the European Parliament.
Unhappy with this outcome, Luxembourg minister Claude Turmes said that the countries in favour of a 45% target (Luxembourg, Austria, Denmark, Estonia, Germany, Greece, Portugal, Lithuania and Spain) would draw up a written declaration.
He said they could form a blocking minority. In addition, at Germany’s request, the ministers amended certain provisions on accelerated permit-granting procedures for renewable energy projects in order to secure Berlin’s support for the legislative proposal on gas price capping (see EUROPE 13087/1).
EUROPE will continue to follow this story. (Original version in French by Damien Genicot)