Germany backs binding 2020 renewables targets: ministry

Brussels (Platts)--23Nov2006

The European Union should set binding long term renewables targets, a
senior official from Germany's federal economy ministry told EU energy
ministers at the EU energy council in Brussels Thursday.
"Germany feels there should be binding [renewables] objectives until
2020, to give time for the necessary investments to be made," the ministry's
parliamentary secretary of state, Peter Hintze, said during a public debate on
energy efficiency and renewables.
He reminded the ministers that the European Parliament had already backed
a binding renewables target of 20% by 2020.
"It must be binding as that is the only way to achieve it, and to ensure
a balance of competition between [EU] member states," he said.
The European Commission plans to propose medium and long term targets in
its renewables roadmap to be adopted January 10, but has not yet said whether
these are to be binding or indicative.
The EU already has non-binding indicative targets of 21% of power and 12%
of total final energy use to come from renewable sources by 2010. EU member
states have traditionally rejected binding objectives in favor of flexible,
indicative ones.
The public debate was interrupted by a 15 minute power failure in the EU
Council's building.

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