German energy think tank Agora Energiewiende has released a report laying out 10 prospective priorities for the EU’s energy transition.
The report, titled European Energy Transition 2030: The Big Picture, details the think tank’s suggestions for actions the European Parliament and Council must prioritise in order to complete an effective transition to clean energy; as well as four recommended initiatives. The EU is in the process of working towards a series of climate targets it hopes to achieve by 2030, including reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 40 per cent in comparison to 1990 levels; increasing the proportion of the energy market represented by renewable energy to 27 per cent; and energy interconnection of 15 per cent.
In a press release accompanying the report, Head of European Energy Policy Mathias Buck said: “[T]he overall renewables target translates into a Europe-wide 57 percent share of renewables in the power sector by 2030, implying that wind and solar will shape Europe’s power system. And the greenhouse gas target implies that coal will need to be cut by half, gas to be reduced by 30 percent and oil by 25 percent – asking for socially just concepts for this transition. The European Energy Transition 2030 is a political project that concerns us all. It will demand European politics to address key issues to make it happen.”
The energy transition priorities, listed in the report as “Ten Priorities for the next European Parliament and the next European Commission to deliver what is agreed and to accelerate where possible”, are:
- National implementation across Member States of frameworks to support the EU’s 2030 targets;
- A framework enabling the distribution of state aid to advance the transition process;
- The implementation of a “shadow price” on carbon emissions;
- Systematic reduction of emissions produced by vehicles;
- An increase in existing targets to reduce emissions from heavy goods vehicles;
- Beginning the process of decarbonisation of aircraft and ship fuels;
- Boosting Europe’s battery manufacturing industry;
- Promoting renewable energy sources by introducing a “scalable green hydrogen economy”;
- Introducing lead markets for zero-carbon cement and steel products; and
- Making provision in the 2021-27 European budget to incentivise transition to greener energy.
The report says: “The ten priorities are all EU-level measures with strong value-added for a just and clean European energy transition. Three priority measures tackle effective implementation, three address the transport sector, three the industrial sector, and a last measure highlights priorities for the next EU budget.”
