Romania: EU carbon goals need to be "realistic"

Energy ministers from the EU’s 28 nations had their first debate about 2030 carbon-reduction and renewable energy strategy at their quarterly meeting in Brussels on Wednesday, according to Bloomberg.

“We need to make sure we combine our objectives for setting ambitious goals with increasing competitveness of the industry and safeguarding energy supply,” Greek Energy Minister Yannis Maniatis told reporters after the gathering. His country holds the EU rotating presidency through June.

The Parliament called on the Commission and EU countries, in its resolution adopted on Wednesday by 341 votes to 263, with 26 abstentions, to set a 2030 EU target to reduce domestic greenhouse gas emissions by at least 40% from 1990 levels. It also wants an energy efficiency target of 40%, in line with research on the cost-effective potential, and a commitment to producing at least 30% of total final energy consumption from renewable energy sources.

The challenge for the EU is to reconcile its ambition to lead the global fight against climate change with efforts to help the economy regain steam. The bloc should tighten its greenhouse-gas reduction target to 40 percent in 2030 compared with 20 percent in 2020, according to a strategy outlined in January by the European Commission, the EU’s regulatory arm.

“Climate action is central for the future of our planet, while a truly European energy policy is key for our competitiveness. Today’s package proves that tackling the two issues simultaneously is not contradictory, but mutually reinforcing. It is in the EU’s interest to build a job-rich economy that is less dependent on imported energy through increased efficiency and greater reliance on domestically produced clean energy”, European Commission President José Manuel Barroso said, when the strategy was first presented.

Member states, industry, non-governmental organizations and lobbies are divided over the commission’s proposal. Groups including the Climate Action Network and Greenpeace call for stricter targets, while energy-intensive companies including ThyssenKrupp and Tata urge policy makers to avoid carbon costs for manufacturers.

Hungary, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Bulgaria and Romania said in a joint statement that the 2030 carbon goal should be set at a “realistic level” and take into account United Nations talks about a global deal to be agreed in 2015. They also said the EU emissions-trading system should remain the core tool for Europe to meets its emission-reduction goal.

“In order to reach this target cost effectively, intra-EU flexibility mechanisms -– including innovative financing schemes -– should be introduced, especially in the non-ETS sector, as an integral part of the climate and energy policy framework,” the six countries said.