The EU Needs Renewable Energy, Not Low-carbon Rhetoric

“EREC welcomes the communication on Energy 2020 and certainly supports the Commission’s commitment to the SET-Plan and proposed actions relevant to renewable energy, such as grid infrastructure, energy markets and smart cities”, declared Prof. Arthouros Zervos, President of the European Renewable Energy Council (EREC).

“However, instead of an undefined low-carbon rhetoric the EU needs a stable framework for renewable energy leading up to 2030 and a clear vision for achieving 100% renewable energy by 2050”, Zervos continued.

“A well-functioning, undistorted, internal energy market would give us the level playing field we have always argued for”, Arthouros Zervos said recalling that the successful development of renewable energy in the current energy system relies on the ability of EU Member States to design stable, adequate support mechanisms to compensate for market distortions in order to reach their binding 2020 targets.

Finally, Arthouros Zervos underlined the importance of the international dimension of renewable energy: “European companies are world leaders in renewable energy, generating hundreds of thousands of new jobs, and EU energy policies need to ensure the continued growth of this important sector in order for us to maintain our leadership”.

The European Renewable Energy Council (EREC) came into existence in the year 2000, as the voice of the European renewable energy industry. As the umbrella organisation of the European renewable energy industry, trade and research associations active in the sectors of photovoltaics, small hydropower, solar thermal, bioenergy, geothermal, ocean, concentrated solar power and wind energy, EREC represents the entire renewable energy sector, which currently has an annual turnover of EUR 70 billion and employs over 550.000 people.

www.erec.org/