The EU must use at least 11.7 percent less energy by 2030. The negotiators of the European Parliament and the EU countries agreed on this in Brussels on Friday morning, the Council of Member States announced. Parliament’s chief negotiator Niels Fuglsang spoke of a “real change in favor of the climate and against Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin”.
Therefore, each EU country must contribute to the savings targets. The national contributions must be calculated according to a specific formula. The reference value is therefore a forecast from 2020. However, individual countries can deviate from this by a maximum of 2.5 percent.
“This means an upper limit for final energy consumption in the EU of 763 million tonnes of oil equivalent and 993 million tonnes of oil equivalent for primary use,” the statement said. The consumption limit for final consumption should be binding on Member States, while the target for primary consumption is an indicative value.
“If you procrastinate, you get homework”
If the national contributions together are not enough, the EU Commission can ask individual countries to do more. “Those who delay get their homework,” German MEP Jutta Paulus (Greens), who negotiated for the Parliament, wrote on Twitter. According to her, Friday’s agreement will save Spain’s entire energy consumption.
For the new requirements to take effect, Parliament and EU countries must formally reaffirm them. The Permanent Representatives Committee in the Council and the committee responsible for energy in the EU Parliament are invited to do so.
Source: Krone
I’m Ben Stock, a journalist and author at Today Times Live. I specialize in economic news and have been working in the news industry for over five years. My experience spans from local journalism to international business reporting. In my career I’ve had the opportunity to interview some of the world’s leading economists and financial experts, giving me an insight into global trends that is unique among journalists.
