During a plenary debate today, Socialists and Democrats explained
the successful outcome of recent negotiations with the Council of
the European Union on the Clean Energy Package. Tomorrow, the
plenary will back the deal reached by the parliament’s negotiators
Mirolsav Poche and José Blanco for a new Energy Efficiency
Directive and a Renewable Energy Directive, along with a new
regulation on energy governance. S&Ds have pushed for
ambitious targets – a headline target of 32.5%...Request free trial
During a plenary debate today, Socialists and Democrats explained
the successful outcome of recent negotiations with the Council of
the European Union on the Clean Energy Package. Tomorrow, the
plenary will back the deal reached by the parliament’s negotiators
Mirolsav Poche and José Blanco for a new Energy Efficiency
Directive and a Renewable Energy Directive, along with a new
regulation on energy governance.
S&Ds have pushed for ambitious targets – a headline target of
32.5% improvement of energy efficiency by 2030 and a binding target
of 32% share of renewable energy in the EU by 2030 - in order to
align the European objectives with the fulfilment of the Paris
Agreement against Climate Change.
The S&D negotiators also secured affordable energy for all and
in particular for the most vulnerable groups.
S&D MEP Miroslav Poche, who is the author of the
parliamentary report on the Energy Efficiency Directive,
said:
“Saving energy is a win-win policy for all Europeans. It is
estimated that a 32.5% energy efficiency improvement by 2030 for
will create 840,000 jobs in the EU, not to mention the money
saved and the protection of the environment. We expect to be even
more ambitious before 2030, as we ensured an upwards-only review
by 2023 to take into account expected cost reductions resulting
from economic or technological changes.
“It is also very good news for the competitiveness of European
industry, reducing costs and stimulating additional investment,
growth and employment; particularly in the construction
sector.
“Above all, we are proud to have kept our word and implemented
the Energy Poverty
Manifesto adopted by the S&D Group in March 2016.
Citizens will benefit because they will be able to afford to pay
for heating in winter and cooling in the summer, and better
insulated buildings will improve everyone’s well-being.”
“This is a big step towards an energy revolution that is very much
needed, and I am glad that the EU is taking the global lead in the
transition to a sustainable economic model. We are setting the
ground for a future carbon-free economy that will save Europe
millions of euros in fuel imports, it will empower citizens to
produce their own energy, and it will improve our health and
environment. This revolution will affect the heating and cooling
sectors as well as transport, it will foster innovation and it will
create new opportunities for businesses and job creation.
"The agreement establishes the right to self-consumption, to
generate, consume, store and sell the excess production of
renewable electricity and the right to be remunerated for the
electricity injected in to the grid.
“One key aspect is the legal certainty that we provide for
renewables, along with an ethical and sustainable use of these
renewable sources. We have learnt from previous mistakes and for
the first time we put in place a consistent strategy. High indirect
land use change (ILUC) biofuels will be phased out through a
certification process for low ILUC biofuels, which is to be
established.*
“We dis-incentivise investments in new production of food
crop-based biofuels, and we push for advanced biofuels, using
materials such as forest residues, agricultural waste and manure
from livestock.
"The Union will allocate additional funds to facilitate a just
transition of carbon intensive regions towards increased shares of
renewable energy."
*Note to the editors:
First generation biofuels will be capped at the level consumed
in each member state in 2020, with an additional 1% point allowed
(always with a ceiling cap of 7%) and those member state below 2%
allowed to go up to 2%.
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