EU split on energy targets

EU energy ministers have failed to agree on binding targets for renewables after tense talks in Brussels.

Energy and economics ministers were hoping to broker a deal on liberalising gas and electricity markets in the EU and on increasing the use of renewable energy, a key focus of the European commission’s new energy proposals.

But there was no agreement on whether to back a binding target for generating 20 per cent of all energy used in the EU from renewable sources by 2020.

German economics minister Michael Glos, who chaired the meeting, played down the disagreements.

“The longest journey begins with the first step – that is how we will have to progress…we have made a breakthrough.”

Speaking at a press conference after the meeting, EU energy chief Andris Piebalgs said “several” member states supported a binding target but were divided on which figure to adopt. 

“It will take some time to achieve a consensus,” Piebalgs said.

The split between member states prompted strong reaction from MEPs and NGOs. 

EU ministers “seem to be already abandoning [their] ambition on crucial concrete measures to protect our climate”, said Green MEPs Claude Turmes and Rebecca Harms.

It is “essential that these objectives become legally binding", said WWF’s Stephan Singer. “Voluntary targets are bound to fail.”

Ministers also failed to agree on a mechanism to separate - or ‘unbundle’ in euro-speak - energy-producing companies and distributors as French proposals to allow energy producers to own distributors, with certain safeguards, gathered support.

Ministers endorsed the general principle of unbundling, held back from committing to one specific model.

Fears were raised that foreign energy giants such as Russia’s state-controlled Gazprom would buy up unbundled companies in a liberalised market was also a factor prompting the stalemate, admitted Glos.

“Perhaps that would have played a part,” Glos said adding that Polish diplomats had expressed their concerns in the sidelines of the summit.

Diplomats were more optimistic that EU plans to set a binding target to cut CO2 emissions by 20 per cent by 2020 could be agreed next week by national environment ministers.

The results of both meetings will feed into the preparations on crunch energy talks by EU leaders at the spring summit on 8-9 March.

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