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EU Commission launches consultation on 2030 energy policy framework

EU Commission launches consultation on 2030 energy policy framework EU flags, Brussels/ Belgium (source: flickr/ Ingvar_Sverrisson, creative commons)
Alexander Richter 2 Apr 2013

The EU Commission launches consultation on the 2030 framework for climate and energy, and evaluates progress towards 2020 targets, as reported by the European Geothermal Energy Council (EGEC).

Last week, the European Commission unveiled its Green Paper on “A 2030 framework for climate and energy policies”. This policy document launches a public consultation open until the 2nd of July 2013. All stakeholders are invited to express their opinions on climate and energy policies in a 2030 perspective, including on policy instruments and characteristics of a 2030 target for renewable energy. All responses to this consultation will feed into the Commission’s on-going work on the 2030 framework which is expected to be published by the end of 2013.

In a statement on its website “EGEC, together with its umbrella organisation EREC, welcomes the Green paper which kick-starts the debate about EU climate and energy policies for the period 2020-2030 and calls for 2030 binding targets (see EREC press release here).

In a joint press release issued with the Heat Coalition, EGEC also points out that “the forthcoming climate and energy policy framework must adequately address the future role of the heating and cooling sector”. In this frame, we welcome the words of the EU Energy Commissioner Oettinger in favour of binding targets for renewable electricity and heating and cooling.

Together with the Green Paper, the Commission published its first Renewable Energy Progress Reportunder the framework of the 2009 Renewable Energy Directive. In this report, the EU Executive highlights how the transposition of the RES directive has been slower than expected and therefore urges member states to finalise its transposition into national law as soon as possible and to increase their efforts in addressing barriers to the uptake of renewable energy.

Most importantly, the Commission highlights the lack of measures and incentives for geothermal, particularly in the heating sector. “Mid- to large-scale geothermal heating systems may all require additional initiatives in order to let them play their role in meeting the 2020 targets” reports a staff working document accompanying the progress report. Geothermal energy is indeed expected to have the greatest shortfall in 2012 (-32.1%).

To complete a heavy package of communications on energy issues, the Commission also published aconsultative communication summarising the state of play of Carbon Capture and Storage development and requiring the view of stakeholders on the future of this technology in Europe. Please find EGEC’s position on CCS here.

Amongst other things, the above issues will be subject of a meeting of the EGEC Advisory Working Group on Policy to be held in May. ”

Source: EGEC