Brussels, 02/03/2007 (Agence Europe) - The United Kingdom has made a U-turn ahead of the Spring European Council of 8-9 March. Next week, British Prime Minister Tony Blair will support the idea of a 20% binding target for the share of renewable energy in the EU's total energy supply by 2020. Since the European Commission's adoption of an energy and climate change package in January, the UK had been resisting calls for the target to be made binding and at the Energy Council on 15 February (see EUROPE 9367), UK industry secretary, Alistair Darling, had called for a more flexible, non-binding approach. According to Tony Blair's spokesperson, quoted in the Financial Times on 1 March, Mr Blair would argue at the Spring summit for the EU to have binding targets for renewable energy to combat climate change and carbon emissions. The EU27 is expected to agree to a unilateral 20% cut in carbon emissions by 2020. At present, only 5% of electricity generation in the UK comes from renewable energy sources, but this is forecast to rise to 6.7% this year, with the aim of reaching 10% by 2010. London believes offshore windpower in the UK should make it possible to reach the target of 20% of electricity coming from renewable sources by 2020.
In contradiction to reports in the FT on Thursday, France is still refusing to agree to a binding target for renewables, although the idea is backed by Germany, Denmark, Spain, Slovenia, Sweden and, now, the United Kingdom. We do not favour a binding target, feeling that it is down to each member state in full flexibility and subsidiarity to decide on its own target, said French government sources quoted by Reuters on Thursday. What counts is the end goal of reducing CO2 emissions, explained French industry minister, Francois Loos, on the fringes of the Energy Council on 15 February 2007. Nuclear power generates 78% of France's electricity and Paris would prefer an overall target for low carbon energy since nuclear power does not produce greenhouse gas emissions. Poland's industry minister Piotr Wozniak said last week that the EU's unilateral target of a 20% cut in carbon dioxide emissions by 2020 was too high, and government sources suggest that Poland is resisting the idea of a binding target for the share of renewable energy. (eh)