EU leaders pass climate commitment test

2279, 09/03/07

The leaders of the EU's 27 member states adopted a "bold and ambitious" programme of measures on climate protection and clean energy on Friday.  Shortly before lunchtime, leaders emerged from talks to announce agreement on binding targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase the use of renewable energies by 2020.

The outcome delighted the European commission.  Leaders had signed up to virtually every single proposal in a major package of climate and energy proposals in January, the EU executive said (see full details of agreement in separate article in this issue).

European commission president Jose Manuel Barroso said the EU now had "the most ambitious climate protection strategy anywhere in the world".  UK prime minister Tony Blair described the meeting as a "true triumph" for the German EU presidency, adding that the agreement put Europe "in the lead on climate change".

Whether to make a target for boosting the share of renewable energy binding or not was the most contentious issue at the summit meeting.  Leaders finally backed it, providing it is shared "fairly and equitably" between countries, and takes into account different national "circumstances, starting points and potentials".

German chancellor Angela Merkel admitted that agreeing differentiated national targets contributing towards the overall 20 per cent goal will be a "difficult task".

Mr Barroso promised new legislative proposals on renewables in the third quarter of this year, adding that binding national targets will be agreed in cooperation with each member state in turn.

The summit conclusions recognise the contribution of nuclear energy to meeting "growing concerns about safety of energy supply and CO2 emissions reductions".  This is widely seen as a concession to France and other pro-nuclear countries, designed to win their support for a binding renewables goal.

However, the text adds that issues of nuclear safety and security are "paramount" in the decision-making process, and there is no mention of a target demanded by France for increasing the share of "low-carbon energy".

In early reactions to the summit, environmental groups and renewable energy interests were generally positive about its outcome.  See web links below.

Follow-up: EU summit webpages http://www.eu2007.de/en/Meetings_Calendar/Dates/March/0308-ER.html

and presidency conclusions http://www.consilium.europa.eu/uedocs/cms_Data/docs/pressdata/en/ec/93135.pdf.

 See also reactions from NGOs Greenpeace http://www.greenpeace.eu/downloads/climate/EnvCouncil070220.pdf,

Friends of the Earth http://www.endseuropedaily.com/docs/70309a.doc,

WWF http://www.panda.org/about_wwf/where_we_work/europe/what_we_do/epo/index.cfm?uNewsID=96020,

and renewable energy industry bodies Erec http://www.endseuropedaily.com/docs/70309c.doc, Ewea

http://www.ewea.org/index.php?id=60&no_cache=1&tx_ttnews%5btt_news%5d=395&tx_ttnews%5bbackPid%5d=1&cHash=24056abd56, Estif http://www.endseuropedaily.com/docs/70309b.doc. See also

reactions from European green party http://www.greens-efa.org/cms/default/dok/172/172327.eu_summit@en.htm

and European agricultural sector http://www.endseuropedaily.com/docs/70309a.pdf.

Summit climate-energy commitments in detail

ENDS Europe DAILY 2279, 09/03/07

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Heads of government committed the EU to a series of short and long-term targets and measures on climate protection and clean energy on Friday.  Almost all of them are based on proposals tabled by the European commission in January (EED 10/01/07 http://www.endseuropedaily.com/22371). 

* A binding unilateral EU commitment to cut greenhouse gases by at least 20 per cent by 2020 compared with 1990 levels.  The target will be fleshed out through differentiated national targets along the same lines as the burden sharing agreement underlying the EU's current Kyoto protocol emissions commitment.

* A broader objective for all industrialised countries, including the EU, to reduce emissions by 30 per cent by 2020.  The EU would aim to meet it if other developed countries made "comparable efforts" and leading developing countries made "adequate commitments".

* Beyond 2020, developed countries should be aiming at collective cuts in emissions of 60-80 per cent by 2050.

* A comprehensive EU energy action plan for 2007-09, containing the following priority measures:

- A binding target of a 20 per cent share of renewable energies in overall EU energy consumption by 2020.  This figure will be broken down into differentiated national targets, taking account of countries' varied circumstances, starting points and potentials.

- These national targets will be set out in proposals for a comprehensive directive on the use of all renewable energy resources, expected from the commission in the third quarter of 2007.

- By 2020, all member states must achieve a 10 per cent minimum binding target for the share of biofuels in overall EU transport fuel consumption.  The binding nature of the target is subject to production being sustainable, second-generation biofuels being available, and successful amendments to the fuel quality directive.

- A non-binding commitment to reduce the EU's energy consumption by 20 per cent compared to projections for 2020 through improvements in energy efficiency.  This will be achieved primarily through implementation of an EU action plan on energy efficiency (EED 19/10/06 http://www.endseuropedaily.com/21881).

- A proposed European strategic energy technology plan, expected in 2007, designed to strengthen research into renewable, low carbon and energy efficient technologies.

- The "effective separation" of supply and production activities by energy network operators, guaranteeing equal and open access to network infrastructure.

* A request to the European commission to consider expanding the EU emissions trading scheme to cover not only land-use, land-use change and forestry but also surface transport.

Follow-up: EU summit webpages http://www.eu2007.de/en/Meetings_Calendar/Dates/March/0308-ER.html

and conclusions http://www.consilium.europa.eu/uedocs/cms_Data/docs/pressdata/en/ec/93135.pdf.

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