Brussels, 09/01/2006 (Agence Europe) - In the context of the gas price dispute between Russia and Ukraine, which caused a momentary fall in gas deliveries to the European Union on 1 and 2 January heightening the EU's concern about its energy dependence (EUROPE 9101 and 9102), the Austrian minister for agriculture and the environment, Josef Pröll, decided to include the biomass action plan adopted by the Commission on 7 December 2005 (EUROPE 9084) on the agenda of the Agriculture Council of 23 and 24 January (see other article on the Austrian Presidency's priorities in agriculture). “Following the alarming price hike for crude oil, the gas dispute between Russia and Ukraine has made one thing very clear: we must take action in the EU to reduce dependence on fossil energy sources”, Mr Pröll states in a press release. By launching discussions on the matter “immediately”, the biomass action plan “can be speedily adopted and actively implemented”, the president of the Council added, going on to stress Austria's “responsibility” as a “leader in the use of alternative energy sources” to take things forward for Europe. According to the Austrian minister, “in the coming four years alone, Europe could more than double the use of biomass for energy purposes”.
In 2003, 69 million tonnes of energy consumed in Europe came from biomass. The European Commission considers that measures proposed in its Action Plan should allow the quantity of biomass used to be increased to over 150 million tonnes of oil equivalent by 2010 without increasing the intensity of agriculture or altering Community food production. These measures should also allow greenhouse gas emissions to be reduced by 209 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent and created 250,000 to 300,000 jobs. In addition, investment in the field of biomass could give a significant boost to innovation in green technologies and secure Europe's leadership in the world market in this sector.
According to Mr Pröll, renewable raw material should be used not only for domestic heating but also electricity and fuel. In his view, nuclear energy is not an alternative. “We should opt for an intelligent, balanced energy mix in Europe rather than investing in mega power stations”, the Austrian minister said. Quite apart from unanswered questions of nuclear safety, the gas crisis has clearly highlighted the problem of over-dependence on a single option, Pröll concluded, saying: “Europe would be well advised to opt for a broad mix of sustainable environmentally sound energy sources”.