01/06/2004 (Agence Europe) - Before leaving for Bonn where she is part of the EP delegation at the biggest ever renewable energies conference (1 to 4 June), Mechtilde Rothe (Germany, Social Democrats) said that Europe must be at the forefront in the promotion of renewable energy. Ms Rothe pointed out that a conclusion of the preparatory conference in January was that renewable energies should account for 20% of European energy consumption by 2020. Without such involvement by Europe she considered "there will be no switch to renewable energy elsewhere in the world". (See EUROPE of 27 May, p.6 on the negative report by the European Commission on the proportion of renewable energies in Community energy consumption).