Brussels, 06/03/2007 (Agence Europe) - Ahead of the Spring European Council of 8-9 March, which is expected to set targets to help the EU cut its greenhouse gas emissions and increase the proportion of energy generated from renewable sources by 2020, environmental NGOs fear that EU heads of state might be tempted to water down the European Commission's ambitions, set out in its 'Energy for Europe' package on 10 January this year. They urge the Spring summit to take the serious political decisions necessary to combat climate change and to refuse to give ground over the need for ambitious, binding, targets. They argue that the EU's credibility is at stake here because climate change is already a global reality.
In a press release, WWF (the Worldwide Fund for Nature) says that Polish attempts to undermine EU policy must be ignored at the Spring sSummit. The WWF explains that 'Poland is a major obstacle to negotiations as it opposes almost all essential parts of the so-called 'EU energy package', including the unilateral target of 20 % greenhouse gas reduction with an upgrade to 30 % if other countries join the same path. Poland is also opposed to a binding target for renewable energy and is watering down language on energy efficiency and energy savings.'
'European leaders must ignore the Polish government attempts to ruin EU climate policy,' said Stephan Singer, head of WWF's European Climate and Energy Unit: 'With the infrastructure works for Via Baltica which threaten important natural areas and are in breach of commonly agreed EU laws, Poland has recently shown how little it cares for the environment and future generations.' 'In order to achieve a low-carbon future, it is essential for EU leaders to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 30 % by 2020,' added Wojciech Stepniewski, Climate and Energy Project Leader at WWF Poland.
'A sound Energy Policy for Europe must… emerge from the European Council with clear and binding targets for energy efficiency and renewables if Europe wants to be a credible partner in the fight against climate change,' explained Stepniewski.
Friends of the Earth (FoE) says it is vital that European governments focus on the impending threat of climate change, when they settle Europe's energy future at the EU European Council at the end of the week, by introducing greenhouse gas emission reductions, energy efficiency and the promotion of renewable energy. As EU leaders are discussing energy, hundreds of activists from 15 EU member states will form a giant EU energy flat right outside the meeting at the Council building in Brussels, demanding that governments 'Stop Climate Change. Cut energy waste. Choose Renewables.'
Jan Kowalzig, climate campaigner at FoE Europe, said: 'As EU leaders seal Europe's energy future, they absolutely must make fighting climate change the guiding imperative and should not compromise on that goal in their scramble for energy security. The EU's Energy Action Plan, due to be agreed upon at the Spring Council, will fall a long way short in making Europe's energy more sustainable unless targets for both renewable share and reducing greenhouse gases are raised and tightened and a real target is adopted for cutting energy waste.'
FoE adds: 'The heads of state look set to adopt a unilateral target for the EU of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by only 20% by 2020, compared to 1990 levels, despite their concurrent acceptance that developed countries must cut emissions by 30% in the same timeframe to avoid catastrophic climate change. Friends of the Earth has highlighted this double standard in recent weeks and insists that the EU set itself a target to cut its domestic emissions by at least 30% by 2020 compared to 1990 levels.'
Both FoE and Greenpeace International are still pushing for a tougher target to be set of a 30% cut in EU greenhouse gas emissions and for this to be made binding. FoE wants a binding overall target for renewables greater than the 20% level currently under discussion for 2020, and for the overall renewable target to be broken down into sectoral targets, warning that 'one broad target for overall energy use will not be sufficient to stimulate investment and technological advancement across a range of varied sectors like electricity generation or hearing and cooling - a problem that even the European Commission itself has acknowledged.' (an)