EU’s Big Program On Energy
- March 12th, 2007
- Posted by 7thmin
When the EU heads of government decided to go all-out for climate protection, they handed the executive body, the European Commission, eighteen reasons to celebrate.
The European Commission is a heavyweight political body because it proposes the legislation and regulations for the whole of the EU, and then looks after the implementation.
The 27-member body (one from each country) had decided that strong action against greenhouse gas pollution was needed, so it asked for a mandate for initiatives.
The summit of heads of government last week (8-9.3.07) obliged by authorising new laws, under which Europe is to cut carbon dioxide emissions by 20%, by 2020; also calling on the United States and other major industrialised countries to do the same.
They actually agreed to still more, for example, committing to go to 30% if the rest of the world joined in on that figure.
As the decision was being announced in Brussels, the Commission sent around one of its spokespersons to give journalists an eighteen-point list.
It briefly set out what actions had been put forward for approval by the summit, and the outcome, “yes” in every case.
Together the eighteen points are to be followed as a plan, backed by laws and regulatory action.
List as delivered:
Measure Proposed by the Commission Agreed?
1. 30% greenhouse gas reduction target for developed countries 2020 Yes
2. At least 20% GHG reduction target for EU 2020 Yes
3. Greater separation of energy generation and distribution Yes
4. Strong independent regulation with cross-border perspective Yes
5. Community mechanism for Transmission System Operators Yes
6. Customer’s Energy Charter Yes
7. Appoint coordinators to speed up interconnections Yes
8. 20% energy efficiency savings 2020 Yes
9. Take forward priority measures to deliver energy efficiency Yes
10. 20% 2020 binding target for renewables Yes
11. 10% 2020 binding target for biofuels Yes
12. Set up 12 large-scale demonstrations of sustainable fuel technologies by 2015 Yes
13. Take forward possibility of carbon capture and storage b y 2020 Yes
14. Create a high level group on nuclear safety Yes
15. EU-Africa energy partnership Yes
16. Take forward international agreement on energy efficiency Yes
17. Present a Strategic Energy review every two years Yes
18. Create Energy Observatory in the Commission Yes
Taking in everything from a fresh attempt to break up state power industries, to getting householders to fit the new types of lightbulbs, this program is being set up to create a very different kind of Europe by the time 2020 arrives.