By Martin Banks - 6th February 2007
When it comes to tackling climate change many in the EU are marching together but not necessarily to the same beat, according to MEPs writing in the latest issue of the Parliament Magazine.
UK Socialist deputy Eluned Morgan says that for renewables to become “truly” competitive with traditional energy sources the sector requires a “quantum leap” in levels of investment and research.
Morgan, parliament’s rapporteur on the EU strategy for sustainable, competitive and secure energy, said, “Those resistant to an ambitious approach to renewables would do well to remember that a Europe of clean, efficient and innovative energy supplies will be the economic winner of tomorrow.”
German Socialist MEP Mechtild Rothe says the commission’s energy package – which will top the agenda of the EU’s spring summit in March – is right to focus on climate change but needs to be “far more” ambitious if it is to work.
Rothe, a member of the energy and industry committee, says, “I am disappointed that after intensive discussions on the energy green paper, the commission has failed to come up with more ambitious proposals.”
Her comments are partly echoed by another German member, Peter Liese, of the EPP-ED group, who says it is “regrettable” the commission did not include a sectoral target for heating and cooling in its proposals.
“The European parliament and member states will have to correct this mistake,” said Liese, an environment committee member.
Meanwhile, Green MEP and energy committee member, Claude Turmes, warns that Europe’s energy monoliths will do all they can to halt the march towards renewables.
“Big monopolies hate decentralised power technologies because it means they lose control of the market. So what they try to do is try to block or stall new legislation in favour of renewables.”
To read the full Parliament Magazine article click on the author's name: Eluned Morgan, Mechtild Rothe, Peter Liese and Claude Turmes.
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