EU finance ministers open to more renewables, efficiency action

Brussels (Platts)--12Sep2005

European Union finance ministers stressed the importance of energy 
efficiency, energy savings, new technologies and renewables in protecting 
against the adverse impacts of high oil prices at an informal meeting in 
Manchester, northern England, Saturday. "Within member states, targets to 
encourage the use of renewable energy have been set. Ministers stand ready to 
consider further action," they said in a statement. 

     But with current member state policies the EU as a whole is likely to 
miss its target to have 12% of total energy use coming from renewables by 
2010, the EC concluded last year. EU energy ministers blocked the EC's 
attempts to make the renewables targets legally binding--so the EC has to rely
on the political embarrassment of public failure to motivate member states. 
And EU energy ministers continue to oppose the binding energy savings targets 
proposed in the European Commission's draft energy services law and supported 
by the European Parliament. They prefer flexible, indicative (non-binding) 
targets. 

     The finance ministers see opportunities for technology transfer with 
third countries. "[Ministers] are committed to develop more effective 
international cooperation on energy efficiency and development of clean 
technologies, especially with those countries that have relatively low energy 
efficiency," they said. Last week the EU agreed in separate summits to 
cooperate with the rapidly developing economies of China and India on clean 
development and climate change policy.

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