The European Parliament yesterday (9 January) voted for three binding energy and climate targets in 2030, audaciously backing a 40% energy savings improvement, but EurActiv understands that a meeting of nine EU\u00a0commissioners this morning is set to endorse a far weaker text.<\/p>\n
A joint meeting of the Parliament\u2019s environment and industry committees yesterday backed a motion that also called for a 40% cut in greenhouse gas emissions, and 30% market share for renewables by 2030.<\/p>\n
But sources close to the European Commission say that a text slated for approval by its president,\u00a0Jos\u00e9 Manuel Barroso, and several other commissioners today will only support a 40% cut in CO2 emissions, and a consequent non-binding renewables target of between 24%-27% for Europe as a whole, although individual member states may go further.<\/p>\n
The figure is in line with projections in an EU\u00a0\u2018Trends to 2050\u2019<\/a>\u00a0document released over the Christmas period which, under a business as usual scenario, predicted\u00a0an EU-wide failure to decarbonise by 2050<\/a>.<\/p>\n Sources in the renewable energy industry described the proposed goal as \u201ccompletely ridiculous\u201d as the Commission\u2019s own impact assessment had found that a sole binding greenhouse gas target would lead to an additional \u20ac350 billion of spending on fossil fuel imports.<\/p>\n But an argument from the UK – that a single target could be cheaper in other ways and allow governments policy flexibility – appears to have won out.<\/p>\n An anaemic\u00a0improvement in energy efficiency is also forecast in the text to be debated by Commissioners this morning, although a final sign-off on the deal could be delayed until after the European Parliament elections in May.<\/p>\n \u201cThere is a strong desire to decide this whole package in the June Energy Efficiency review,\u201d a source said. \u201cIt is a missed opportunity.\u201d<\/p>\n The EU\u2019s 2030 communication is due to be released on 22 January along with policy pronouncements on carbon market reform, shale gas, the Fuel Quality Directive and industrial competitiveness.<\/p>\n Heated debate<\/strong><\/p>\n Agreed in its present form, the 2030 text will make for a heated European Parliament plenary debate in the first week of February when its own newly-minted 2030 report is due to be discussed.<\/p>\n Speaking immediately after the joint parliamentary committee passed the report yesterday morning, the environment committee\u2019s chair, Matthias Groote (Socialists & Democrats), told EurActiv that MEPs were sending \u201ca very clear message to the Commission that it has to go for three ambitious targets.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOur climate-sceptic colleagues have lost everything,\u201d he added<\/p>\n Peter Liese (European Peoples Party), an influential German Conservative MEP told EurActiv that the MEPs vote signalled a sea change in the way Europe approached climate and energy policy.<\/p>\n Parliament\u2019s position was now \u201cfully in line with the new German government\u2019s position,\u201d he noted.<\/p>\n