Commission adopts climate and energy efficiency Roadmap
Today, the European Commission adopted two key programmes for European climate and energy policy: the "Roadmap for moving to a competitive low carbon economy in 2050" and the "Energy Efficiency Plan 2011". In the Roadmap the Commission commits to an emission reduction target of 25 percent. In combination with the existing option of offsetting climate protection projects outside Europe, this could even enable the 30 percent reduction target to be achieved. Federal Environment Minister Norbert Röttgen described the decisions as a breakthrough for international climate protection: "Europe is finally sending the long-awaited signal. This will inject momentum into the international climate protection process. What is more, it is crucial for improving Europe's growth opportunities and competitiveness. I and my British and French colleagues have been calling for this step for a long time."
The Commission's climate protection Roadmap describes the pathway for achieving European climate targets. Milestones in this cost-effective pathway include a 25 percent reduction in emissions by 2020, a 40 percent reduction by 2030 and 60 percent by 2040, in order to achieve a domestic emission reduction of at least 80 percent by 2050 against 1990 levels. Röttgen noted: "The Commission's analysis proves that reducing greenhouse gases by one quarter within the EU will bring Europe on a cost-effective emissions and growth pathway. This emissions reduction objective for the EU, combined with the additional import of emission credits from climate protection projects beyond Europe's borders, could lower the overall European greenhouse gas balance by 30 percent. In order to achieve this target, however, it is imperative that we significantly raise energy efficiency in all sectors and continue the expansion of renewable energies."
A study entitled "A New Growth Path for Europe", which was commissioned by the Federal Environment Ministry and conducted by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) and the Universities of Oxford, Paris and Athens, concludes that this climate protection policy not only generates impetus for greater economic growth, but can also create six million new jobs by 2020. The prerequisite for success is that all EU member states make comparable contributions – as repeatedly called for by both German industry and the German government. To implement the two programmes, this condition must be fulfilled more stringently than before.
In its Energy Efficiency Plan, the Commission clearly commits to a 20 percent energy saving target by 2020. Today a first package of proposals was submitted encompassing all sectors. Röttgen: "All in all, the Energy Efficiency Plan is a move in the right direction, but it must be given binding support with concrete measures. To this end, the Commission should quickly submit proposals for legally implementing the Plan."
The Energy Efficiency Plan envisages an important pioneering role for the public sector. The high level of state demand is an opportunity to place efficient products and services on the market quickly. The Commission's Energy Efficiency Plan particularly stresses renovation of public buildings, but also stipulates that high standards of efficiency should be applied in the award of public contracts. "Public procurement must be subject to high efficiency standards," said Röttgen, adding that in the upcoming discussions among the member states, the German government would advocate clear objectives. Minister Röttgen named examples such as a specific roadmap for the renovation of the entire building stock, stringent energy efficiency standards in line with advanced technological developments and transparent labelling of energy efficient products.
Röttgen welcomed the inclusion of a monitoring system for the implementation of the catalogue of measures. The results are to be reviewed in 2013, and if the targets have not been achieved, legally binding national targets will be laid down for the member states.