The European Parliament has voted to adopt a report that calls for binding targets on renewable energy for 2030. The vote comes just weeks after the European Commission made a proposal on 2030 targets that lacked any ambition.
In a statement, Greens-EFA climate spokesperson Bas Eickhout MEP said, "The European Parliament has today sent a clear signal to EU governments: binding 2030 targets for renewables, energy efficiency and greenhouse gases are an essential bedrock for any EU policy. Coming just weeks after the weak proposals from the European Commission, today's vote should reorient the debate and give EU governments a mandate to take the right decision when they consider the 2030 roadmap at their March summit."
The European Commission's proposals were criticized heavily by climate change campaigners for including non-binding (at Member state level) renewable energy targets, and targets for efficiency. Today's vote in the European Parliament, while not binding, is a clear sign that the debate is far from over – it sends a strong message to EU governments before they finalise agreements on 2030 targets in March. Not only will this agreement be crucial to the success of any climate deal in Paris in 2015, a good result will be a strong backing for the EU's renewables industry.
According to EGP Co-Chair Monica Frassoni, “The fight back for Europe's future competitiveness needs to start today.”
