21 Jun 2012
Commission gives a boost to renewables, but more post-2020 ambition needed
The European Commission’s communication on renewable energy issued on 6th June examines the current 2020 framework for the development of the sector and outlines policy options for the post-2020 phase. “The Commission is pushing for rigorous implementation and enforcement of the Renewable Energy Directive, and rightly so. We must make sure that, even in the current economic crisis, we meet our 2020 objectives, and most importantly for our industry the 20% target for renewables”, said Arthouros Zervos, President of the European Renewable Energy Council (EREC). EREC welcomes the Commission’s focus on implementing and enforcing the 2020 target for renewables, but regrets its lack of ambition when it comes to a 2030 agenda. Renewable energy growth will slump after 2020 if a post-2020 policy framework is not developed, EREC warns.
EREC and its members are calling for a binding target of 45% renewables for 2030 “Meanwhile, the communication fails to address the heating and cooling sector, where best practice examples of how to incentivise the sector through policy do exist today. What we need is a dedicated action plan for renewable heating and cooling to be proposed by the Commission”, Zervos added. Full press release –link.