On Thursday 7 December, the European Parliament’s Committee on Development adopted by 13 votes to 1, with 6 abstentions, the amended report by Caroline Roose (Greens/EFA, Belgian) recommending that the EU use its development policy to promote access to clean, renewable energy in developing countries, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, where 52% of the population has no access to electricity.
In this respect, MEPs emphasise the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) (SDG 1 on eradicating poverty, SDG 7 on access to reliable, sustainable and modern energy services for all at an affordable cost, SDG 9 on industry and infrastructure and SDG 13 on combating climate change).
The report highlights that access to energy is a fundamental human right and that policy coherence for development is at the heart of the EU’s external policy.
MEPs call on the EU and its Member States to make electrification a priority in their cooperation and partnerships with developing countries, and to increase the share of official development assistance earmarked for the green energy transition, giving priority to countries where access to electricity is lowest.
They are concerned about the negative impacts of coal-fired cooking, which particularly affect the health of women and girls.
The report stresses the need to invest in production capacity, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, in order to achieve the goal of universal access to energy, and draws attention to the possibilities of access to alternative energies, such as untapped geothermal resources. It also stresses that it is essential to support the affordability of energy in order to extend access to electricity, particularly in Africa, where 30% of the population cannot afford electricity services.
It urges developing countries to commit to energy justice through their regulatory frameworks, which should ensure local acceptance, community participation, protection of land rights and adherence to internationally recognised human rights standards, with the aim of ensuring access to affordable energy for all.
Green hydrogen. MEPs stress the importance of hydrogen in achieving net zero emissions worldwide by 2050 and the role it can play in the economic growth of developing countries, provided that the costs - infrastructure and transport - and the social and climate impact are seriously taken into account.
MEPS say that any investment in renewable hydrogen should be based on international due diligence principles and comply with the SDGs, so that exporters can benefit as much as importing countries.
See the text voted on: https://aeur.eu/f/a0d (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)