European leaders adopted today conclusions on the creation of an “Energy Union with a forward-looking climate policy”. According to Climate Action Network Europe and its more than 120 members, the agreed conclusions should have provided a much clearer strategy for reducing energy demand and the deployment of renewables, required for the decarbonisation and energy transition of Europe.
The leaders seem to have forgotten that clearly recognising the good and rejecting the bad is what distinguishes powerful strategies from muddled ones – Wendel Trio, Director of Climate Action Network Europe said. Instead of creating a coherent vision for the energy transition, they are running in all directions. If they are serious about climate change, energy security and green growth, they should make a clear choice in favour of energy efficiency and renewables, and move away from harmful and outdated fossil fuels and nuclear power.
The most positive signal from the European Council is that it calls for both “fully implementing and rigorously enforcing existing energy legislation” and “reviewing and developing legislation related to emissions reduction, energy-efficiency and renewables to underpin the agreed 2030 targets; developing a reliable and transparent governance system”.
The leaders rightly acknowledged the importance of the full implementation of the EU energy legislation, especially on renewables and energy efficiency – Trio added. The laws provide a robust basis for the deployment of renewables and the reduction of energy use across Europe, but their implementation still lags behind. Countries need to put their money where their mouth is and step up their efforts on delivering the needed energy transition. Both for tackling the climate crisis and for more investor certainty, the current legislation should also serve as a basis of the governance system for the 2030 targets.
Notes
Climate Action Network (CAN) Europe is Europe’s largest coalition working on climate and energy issues. With over 120 member organisations in 30 European countries, CAN Europe works to prevent dangerous climate change and promote sustainable energy and environment policy in Europe.
Contacts
Ania Drazkiewicz, CAN Europe Communications Coordinator, ania@caneurope.org, +32 494 525 738
Wendel Trio, CAN Europe Director, wendel@caneurope.org, +32 473 170 887
