Commission accused of downgrading green focus

The European Commission is being accused of watering down its green energy policy, a month before plans to encourage renewable power emerge.

A renewable energy roadmap on 10 January will propose new legislation to replace an existing indicative target for renewable energy consumption in the EU.

The roadmap proposes an "overall legally binding EU [renewable energy] target" to make sure 20% of EU energy consumption comes from renewable sources by 2020. This would be broken down into "mandatory national targets".

The Commission predicts that, with current policies, member states will miss a non-binding target to get 12% of their energy from renewables by 2010.

But green lobbyists say that only specific renewable targets for sectors including heating, cooling and electricity will make a real difference. The only sector-specific target expected to make it to the final energy review package is for the use of biofuels.

Mahi Sideridou of Greenpeace said: "If you’re designing a roadmap you don’t just state the destination but also how to get there." She added: "This is not a roadmap if there are no sector specific targets."

Commission and lobby group sources say Energy Commissioner Andris Piebalgs had to rewrite a draft proposal setting renewable energy sector targets.

The Latvian commissioner now hopes to draw up a proposal for the heating and cooling sectors later in 2007. But he will face stiff opposition. A majority of Commission departments are reported to believe sector-specific targets would impose too many restrictions on member states, making it less likely the 20% target would be met.

A spokesman for Piebalgs said the roadmap would give Europe a strong renewables sector. "The commissioner has always stood for strong renewables policies," he said. "We will propose binding renewables targets and they will be ambitious."

Oliver Schäfer of the European Renewable Energy Council warned that the EU would see little increase in the use of renewables without sector-specific targets to promote green behaviour.

"This draft proposal is a disaster," he said, adding that even the mandatory 20% target was unlikely to make it to a final proposal. "It’s just rhetoric. We all know the first thing to fall down the drain with national governments is binding targets."

The European Parliament is also pushing the Commission to go further on sector targets. A report from UK Socialist MEP Eluned Morgan, to be voted on by Parliament today (14 December), calls for a 25% target by 2020 and stresses the need for sector targets, in line with earlier Parliament reports.

Morgan does not suggest exact percentage targets for electricity, heating and cooling. "That is a discussion for next year," said the MEP.

The European Commission is being accused of watering down its green energy policy, a month before plans to encourage renewable power emerge.