After two months of consultations and drafting, MEP Blanco Lopez from S&D, ITRE Rapporteur on the Renewable Energy Directive, presented its Report. It contains an overall positive approach to renewables, while keeping some flexibility for Member States, and includes leverage for future negotiations with the Council. Most notably, it calls for a higher ambition on the target, asking for 35% binding on Member States level.

On the renewable heating side, it increases the ambition of art. 23 to 2% increase of renewable heating share per year, and makes this increase mandatory on Member States. According to ESTIF analysis, this would be the equivalent to adding 58 Mtoe of RES in heating sector up to 2030, compared to the around 26 Mtoe added in the last decade. It is therefore a highly ambitious proposal, which will inevitably be met by high scepticism from Member States, which are unlikely to approve such level of ambition. However, it will give the Rapporteur a great deal of negotiating leverage, if it goes through the final vote in the parliament as it is. ESTIF lobbying efforts will therefore concentrate now on supporting this proposal, partly resulting from our successful activities with the Parliament, and preventing attacks from different stakeholders outside of the Council, such as NGOs worried about the sustainability of biomass.

The Report will be debated in the next ITRE meetings, and MEPs are expected to deliver amendments by 29 June.

To access ESTIF position paper on the Clean Energy package, please click here.

For more information, contact Stefano.lambertucci(at)estif.org or membership(at)estif.org.