Brussels, 26/05/2004 (Agence Europe) - The European Union will not be able to reach its objectives set out for renewable energy up to 2010 if additional measures are not taken at national and Community levels. This was pointed out by the European Commission in a communication adopted on Wednesday on the share of renewable energies in the European Union's overall consumption of energy. Presenting this communication to the press, the Commissioner for energy Loyola de Palacio insisted on the need to give a "new boost" to renewable energy in an attempt to make good this shortfall.
From 1997 the EU 15 set out objectives for renewable energy in the EU: by 2010 it wanted 22% of all electricity produced to come from renewable energy sources and that in the EU's overall energy consumption, 12% to come from renewables. Taking into account current national policies and measures, the European Union has failed to reach these objectives: electricity consumption produced from renewable sources is expected to reach 18% or 19% but the amount from renewable sources for the Community's overall energy consumption will not be more than 10%.
In compliance with the 2001 directive, European Union Member States have had to set out nation objectives to promote electricity form renewable sources in order to contribute to accomplishing Community objectives in this domain. The Commission communication points out that most countries have not sufficiently implemented sufficiently ambitious objectives. Germany, Denmark, Finland, Spain are "on track" and other countries "have begun" to put into place appropriate policies: Austria, Belgium, Netherlands, united Kingdom, Sweden and France. However, Greece and Portugal are not on the right track for achieving their objectives. Italy and Luxembourg adopted new legislation in March but the communication was unable to draw conclusions on these two countries (conclusions for the ten new Member States will be included in a Commission report for 2006).
Several factors explain the delay by Member States: administrative obstacles, lack of financial support, too little development of electricity produced from biomass. Stressing that it would be necessary to invest EUR 10-15 billion annually to achieve the goal of 12% in the EU15, the Commission calls on Member States to support renewable energy sources as has been done in the past for traditional energies, mainly through tax exemptions. Renewable energy sources must be supported in the context of the financial perspectives 2007-2013 and the Structural and Cohesion Funds must be fully mobilised to this end, the Commission continued. It also recommends the creation of a new Community financial instrument to support research and development of technologies in renewable energies and energy efficiency. It also insists on the need to eliminate non-technological obstacles to the promotion of renewable energies and to strengthen the promotion of biofuels. Finally, it announces its intention to present a coordinated action plan to develop energy obtained from biomass through measures at European, national and local level.
While urging for development of renewable energies, the communication also notes the "difficulties" in developing renewable energy sources (technical, climatic and financial) and stresses that one should not neglect the development of other energy sources in parallel to the developent of renewable energy sources in order to face up to "peaks" in energy consumption. "It wold be misleading for people to say that, with renewable energy alone, we could manage", Ms de Palacio said at a press conference.
With a view to the Bonn Conference on renewable energies, to be held in June, the communication stresses that energy produced from renewable energy sources remains a priority of the EU. However, it is not a question at this stage of fixing new targets for the EU for the period after 2010, as the European Parliament in particular, which called for a 20% target in 2020 for the EU25, would like. The Commission considers that it is wiser to first of all achieve the 2010 objectives before going any further. While stressing the importance of this objective, the communication states that "an examination will be carried out (…) before end October 2005 at the latest with a view to opening a debate for fixing, in 2007, a goal for after 2010".