Belgium: European Parliament Votes for Prolonging Renewable Energy Target to 2030

Today the European Parliament called for the “successful” 2020 renewable energy target to be prolonged to 2030. 

“The Parliament has once again recognised what a strong renewables industry, driven by ambitious targets, can do for Europe’s economy, jobs, energy security and the climate,” commented Stephane Bourgeois, Head of Regulatory Affairs at the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA).

“The European Commission must heed the Parliament’s support for a target when it publishes its Green Paper on 2030 energy policy in the next few weeks.”

The Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) also condemned the retroactive changes to renewable energy support mechanisms taking place in several EU Member States as detrimental to investor confidence. EWEA has spoken out regularly against such changes, because the resulting political uncertainty needlessly increases the sector’s cost of capital.

The MEPs were voting in Plenary on the Tzavela report on the 2050 Energy Roadmap.

The European Commission Green Paper is due out on 27 March.

[mappress]

Press release, March 14, 2013; Image: EWEA