New Climate and Energy Targets Must Be Feasible

By the end of the year, the European Commission is to submit a proposal for a 2030 framework for climate and energy policies. Before that, wide range of questions regarding the main aspects of further development after 2020 and specific actions and targets to be taken by 2030 needs to be answered. A Green Paper on a 2030 framework for climate and energy policies, adopted by the Commission on 27th March 2013, covers the set of related questions. With a few exceptions, the EU continues fulfilling its 2020 targets quite successfully.

Now it is time to come up with new targets for post2020. In order to find out the opinion of Czech public and professionals in the field of energy and climate policy in the EU and thus contribute to the European debate, CEBRE organized a debate in the European House in Prague on 9th September. During the debate, Marten Westrup from DG Energy highlighted that the big challenge will be to define the 2030 framework in a way that a progress towards greater competitiveness, sustainable environment and also security of energy supplies in the EU will be ensured. According to Pavel Zámyslický, Director of Energy and Climate Protection Department of the Ministry of the Environment of the Czech Republic, the CR will meet the target of reducing greenhouse gases and increasing the share of renewable energy sources by 13 % by 2020. He also pointed out that the renewable energy sources support costs Czech companies and households more than 40 billion CZK annually.

Jan Rovenský from the Greenpeace Czech Republic is in favor of setting more ambitious targets, namely to reduce greenhouse gases by at least 55 % compared to 1990, to produce at least 45 % of energy from renewable sources and to increase energy efficiency by 40 % of the primary energy consumption in 2005. Josef Zbořil, Member of the European Economic and Social Committee and Member of Honour of the Confederation of Industry of the Czech Republic, believes that the 2030 targets have to be the “highest attainable”. “The objectives must be consistent and reflect the social, economic and physical reality,” added Zbořil. He also stressed the need for a sole specific target to preserve the efficiency and effectiveness of the system.