The associations and representatives of the European Parliament have
charged the Commission with ignoring Parliament's decision to strengthen
the research budget for renewables and energy efficiency.
The associations represented included the European Wind Energy Association
(EWEA), the European Photovoltaic Industry Association (EPIA), the
European Renewable Energy Council (EREC) and the European Renewable Energy
Centres (EUREC).
On 15 June at its plenary meeting, the European Parliament voted to
dedicate two-thirds of the non-nuclear energy research budget under the
European Union's Seventh Framework Program for Research (FP7) to renewable
energy sources and energy efficiency. The move came following recognition
of neglect of renewable research investments in recent years.
The European Commission appears to see things differently, however, and
has decided to ignore the democratic decision of the Parliament in its
amended proposal for the program.
"We are hearing many fine words about the importance of renewables and
energy efficiency. Now that decision time has arrived, there is silence.
We do not understand the position of the European Commission and its
priorities for research over the next seven years," said Christian Kjaer,
Chief Executive of the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA).
"Last month, the European Parliament expressed the will of European
citizens to reverse decades of unbalanced focus on fossil fuel energy
research," Kjaer said. "Europe has the opportunity to move closer to an
energy future based on known and predictable costs, derived from clean and
indigenous energy sources free of all the security, political, economic
and environmental disadvantages associated with the current energy supply
structure."
The Parliament agreed that non-nuclear energy research should total Euro
2.4 billion [US$3 billion] over the seven years of the program
(2007-2013). Over the next five years, the average annual research budget
for energy would be as follows:
-- Total Energy research: Euro 920 million
-- Nuclear energy research: Euro 580 million (63%)
-- Non-nuclear energy research: Euro 340 million (37%), of which 2/3 to
renewables and energy efficiency: Euro 226 million (25%)
"It is our hope that the Member States, at the next Competitiveness
Council on Monday 24 July, will back the European Parliament in its call
for sufficient research investment in renewables," said the united
organizations.