EU Member States want to build on 2020 renewable energy targets

According to press reports, ambassadors from EU Member States agreed this week to maintain national 2020 renewable energy targets as a starting point for progress toward their 2030 energy strategy. The suggested law calls for provisions to ensure that the EU meets its climate and energy targets such as implementing a 27% renewable energy target for 2030 at the European level. Instead of obliging countries nationally, Member States will be asked to provide indicative trajectories for meeting the collective target under the revised renewable energy law.

That ambition comes as the European Commission and some Members of the European Parliament are trying to make it harder for the EU to meet its transport decarbonisation goals, by pushing to phase out or eliminate crop-based biofuels by 2030. Instead of differentiating bad biofuels from good biofuels, the Commission ignores the benefits of renewable ethanol, which saves 66% GHG emissions compared to petrol, helps reduce air pollution and provides jobs for EU farmers.

“Renewable ethanol remains an important source of low-carbon fuel and high-quality animal feed for the EU – and of income for Europe’s struggling farmers,” says Emmanuel Desplechin, ePURE Secretary General. “But it is clear Europe could do a lot more if the right policies are in place. Across Europe, people want their governments to support sustainable biofuels like EU ethanol. As concerns grow about urban air quality and climate change, here is a homegrown solution that works in today’s vehicle fleet.”