Brussels, 14/04/2005 (Agence Europe) - Inspired by the initiative of the European Renewable Energy Council (EREC), 40 organisations (Greenpeace, WWF, CAN Europe, Friends of the Earth) are working to promote renewable energies and in a common declaration on 7 April called on the European institutions to prepare a directive to promote renewable heating and cooling, “the neglected giant”, according to EREC. Ole Pigaard from EREC and president of the European Solar Thermal Industry Federation (ESTIF) underlined that, “Europe claims to be at the forefront of renewable energy development worldwide, which is true. But looking at the facts Europe is only at the forefront of developing renewable electricity technologies so far. This is a good and important start but no enough”. Pigaard added that, “In order to develop the full potential of renewables, clear and coherent legislative action is needed in the field of renewable heating and cooling as well”. The common declaration declared that, “Nearly half of the European energy consumption is needed I the heating sector, but there is not yet one piece of legislation on European level in place that aims to increase the share of renewable heating and cooling production. The promotion of renewable heating and cooling production is not only necessary to fulfil the EU targets in the renewable energy sector, but will also significantly contribute to the reduction of the EU's energy import dependence, to the reduction of greenhouse gases and to the creation of sustainable jobs”. EREC and the other association and agencies working to promote renewable energies are therefore demanding the adoption of a directive setting a 25% target for some of the renewable heating and cooling in Europe. The declaration explains that, “this should be broken down into different mandatory targets for the Member States. The proposed measures within the directive are the setting of framework conditions for promotion mechanisms in the Member States, the removing of administrative barriers, common statistical procedures and the raising of awareness”.