The European Parliament has approved the new binding targets for renewables and energy efficiency. The package envisaging “clean energy for all Europeans” is coming to life.
Last Tuesday, the European Parliament approved the new targets for the EU to increase the use of renewable energy in Europe and improve energy efficiency. Under the new rules agreed by Parliament and national governments, the new targets stipulate that 32 per cent of gross energy consumption will have to come from renewable sources by 2030 — solar, wind and hydroelectric leading the way — while energy efficiency will have to be improved by 32.5 per cent, also by 2030. Furthermore, the package of measures also provides for an increase in the share of second-generation biofuels used in the transport sector, which will have to rise to 14 per cent.
According to Maroš Šefčovič, Vice-President responsible for the Energy Union: "With today's vote, we unlock the true potential of Europe's clean energy transition, which will help us meet the objectives of the Paris Agreement." A transition towards renewables in Europe that should translate into "more jobs, lower energy costs for consumers and less energy imports" on the part of the European Union.
The new regulatory framework was approved after 30 November 2016, when the European Commission had presented a new package of measures aimed at revising the 20-20-20 targets and raising the bar. The package, called "Clean energy for all europeans", aimed to create a more stable, more competitive and more sustainable energy sector. These proposals are expected to lead to the creation of 900,000 jobs and a one-percentage-point increase in GDP over the next ten years.
"Four of the eight proposals in the Clean energy for all Europeans package have now been fully approved, a signal that we are on the right track and that we will deliver on our commitment," said the Commissioner for Climate Action and Energy, Miguel Arias Cañete. Once implemented, these policies are expected to lead to reductions in European emissions of around 45 per cent by 2030, compared to 1990 levels, instead of the previously projected 40 per cent.
Not everyone agrees, however. According to the study "Net zero by 2050, from whether to now", produced by the European Climate Foundation, it emerges that in order to be on a trajectory towards full decarbonisation by 2050, greenhouse gas emissions would need to be reduced by 55–65 per cent compared to 1990 levels by 2030 at the latest. A figure considerably higher than what Europe has proposed. The report indeed states that, with these targets, decarbonisation would be achieved a full 20 years late.
But there are other important points contained in the new regulatory framework: under the legislation, member states will have to ensure that citizens have the right to produce renewable energy for their own consumption, to store it and to sell any surplus production. This will decisively change the Italian energy landscape.