Joint Baltic call to increase renewable energy and energy efficiency targets in EU

Dear President Nausėda, Dear Prime Minister Kariņš, Dear Prime Minister Kallas, Dear Minister Kreivys, Dear Minister Indriksone, Dear Minister Sikkut, We, the signatories of this joint letter, are writing as there are ongoing discussions on the EED and RED revisions in order to call on you to support increasing renewable energy and energy efficiency targets across the whole EU. A winter of energy uncertainty approaches and there is now an urgent need for short-term solutions that address the current energy crisis and the soaring energy costs, which is being felt by homes, communities and businesses across our countries. Our overdependence on fossil fuels has been a major cause of this. The Russian war in Ukraine shows that the dependency on fossil fuels comes at a very high price and we have to get rid of this dependency all over Europe. As governments in the Baltic states try to help households make it through this winter, they must also look towards the future and begin embracing and implementing long-term solutions that address both the energy and climate crises protecting us beyond the coming season. It becomes more imperative that we accelerate the transition to a sustainable, energy efficient, and fully renewable energy system. Fortunately, these solutions already exist. Improving energy savings within our homes and in different sectors, combined with accelerating the deployment of renewable energy throughout Europe, are the key components needed for a swift energy transition. Hence, the urgent need for higher ambition in both the Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Directives to give clear signals about the need for more investments towards Paris-agreement-compatible, sustainable energy transition. Both the EU Energy Efficiency and EU Renewable Energy targets as adopted by the Energy Council in June 2022, do not go far enough in protecting Europe’s security of energy supply and fulfilling its climate commitments under the Paris Agreement. We urge you to be more ambitious when planning the next steps to make our region independent from Russian fossil fuels and fossil fuels in general, as well as the RePowerEU package and to fight the ongoing energy and cost of living crisis, by supporting:

At least 50 % EU Renewable Energy target by 2030
A binding 20 % EU Energy Efficiency target by 2030

More energy savings and a speedy and ambitious roll-out for renewable energy are crucial for both energy security and to limit global warming at 1.5° C. It is now evident that inaction would be significantly more costly. We encourage you to be bold on fighting the energy and cost of living crises. The war in Ukraine gives even more urgent pressure regarding that and it would act as a firm response to the aggressor. We hope that you can take our recommendations on board at the European Council. We stand ready to support your efforts and look forward to engaging with you on this matter further on. Yours sincerely,