EU finance ministers open to more renewables, efficiency action
Brussels (Platts)--12Sep2005
European Union finance ministers stressed the importance of energy
efficiency, energy savings, new technologies and renewables in protecting
against the adverse impacts of high oil prices at an informal meeting in
Manchester, northern England, Saturday. "Within member states, targets to
encourage the use of renewable energy have been set. Ministers stand ready to
consider further action," they said in a statement.
But with current member state policies the EU as a whole is likely to
miss its target to have 12% of total energy use coming from renewables by
2010, the EC concluded last year. EU energy ministers blocked the EC's
attempts to make the renewables targets legally binding--so the EC has to rely
on the political embarrassment of public failure to motivate member states.
And EU energy ministers continue to oppose the binding energy savings targets
proposed in the European Commission's draft energy services law and supported
by the European Parliament. They prefer flexible, indicative (non-binding)
targets.
The finance ministers see opportunities for technology transfer with
third countries. "[Ministers] are committed to develop more effective
international cooperation on energy efficiency and development of clean
technologies, especially with those countries that have relatively low energy
efficiency," they said. Last week the EU agreed in separate summits to
cooperate with the rapidly developing economies of China and India on clean
development and climate change policy.
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