EU states shall step up efforts to meet climate, energy targets: EEA report

EU member states must step up national ambition and efforts to achieve the 2030 and 2050 climate and energy targets, according to a report published by the European Environment Agency (EEA) Thursday.

According to the assessment, the EU member states have lowered their energy consumption in recent years, despite a slight increase in 2015. At the same time, they use more and more renewable energy.

Overall, the 28 member states are collectively well on their way to meeting their 2020 targets on renewables, energy efficiency and greenhouse gas emissions. However, continuing current trends will fall short of longer term objectives.

By 2020, 20 percent of the EU's gross final energy consumption should come from renewable sources. Preliminary estimates for 2015 show that the share of renewables in the EU's final energy consumption continued to increase, reaching a level of 16.4 percent. This is up from 16.0 percent in 2014.

Twenty-two member states (all except France, Ireland, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland and Portugal) are on track to achieve or exceed the levels of renewable energy set in their national action plans.

To achieve the more ambitious longer-term energy and decarbonization goals set by the EU for 2050, current efforts will have to be considerably stepped up, according to the EEA report.

The EU can achieve its 2030 target on renewables if the current pace across Europe is maintained. However, this will require additional efforts because regulatory changes affect investors'confidence in renewables, while market barriers persist.

Similarly, achieving the 2030 target on energy efficiency will require effective implementation of energy efficiency measures as well as a rapid change in consumer behaviour. Endit