European Commissioner for Environment
EU policy focuses on creating a competitive internal energy market offering quality service at low prices, on developing renewable energy sources, on reducing dependence on imported fuels, and on doing more with a lower consumption of energy. Its main objective is ensuring that Europe's citizens and companies will have a secure supply of energy at affordable prices in order to maintain standards of living. At the same time, it strives to reduce the negative effects of energy use, particularly fossil fuels, on the environment. The EU is leading international efforts to combat climate change and has developed a battery of cost-effective measures to help reduce its emissions, including the innovative Emissions Trading Scheme.The EU considers renewable sources of energy – wind power, solar power (thermal and photovoltaic), hydro-electric power, tidal power, geothermal energy and biomass –an essential alternative to fossil fuels. Using these sources helps not only to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from energy generation and consumption but will also reduce the European Union's (EU) dependence on imports of fossil fuels (in particular oil and gas). In order to reach the ambitious target of a 20% share of energy from renewable sources in the overall energy mix, the EU plans to focus efforts on the electricity, heating and cooling sectors and on biofuels. In transport, which is almost exclusively dependent on oil, the Commission hopes to increase the current target of a 5.75% share of biofuels in overall fuel consumption by 2010 to a 10% share by 2020.
Another main goals of the European Union is reducing energy consumption and eliminating energy wastage. EU support for improving energy efficiency will prove decisive for competitiveness, security of supply and for meeting the commitments on climate change made under the Kyoto Protocol. There is significant potential for reducing consumption, especially in energy-intensive sectors such as buildings, manufacturing, energy conversion and transport. At the end of 2006, the EU pledged to cut its annual consumption of primary energy by 20% by 2020. To achieve this goal, it is working to mobilise public opinion, decision-makers and market operators and to set minimum energy efficiency standards and rules on labelling for products, services and infrastructure.
The complete Packaged of EU initiatives has the objective of sparking a new industrial revolution that will deliver a low-energy economy, whilst making the energy Europe consumes more secure, competitive and sustainable.
| Address: | Avenue de Beaulieu 5, 1160 Brussels |
| Website: | http://ec.europa.eu/commission_barroso/dimas/index_en.htm |
| Phone: | +32 2 29 61 989 |
| Fax: | +32 2 29 82 099 |