The European Commission’s proposal for 27% of electricity to be generated by renewables by 2030 — with no reponsibility for individual countries to meet the target — has been dismissed as a “sham” by the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA).

The association is encouraging EU heads of state to vote for binding national targets when they meet on 20 March.

The EC claims in its Impact Assessment on the policy framework for 2020-2030 that the “pull” effect of greenhouse gas reduction will lead to a renewables share of 27% in 2030 if the greenhouse gas target is set at 40%. Declaring a 27% target for the EU as a whole thus looks like fancy packaging for business-as-usual.

The European parliament responded a few days later by voting against the EC framework, recommending a separate and nation-specific renewables target of at least 30% in 2030. A letter from eight countries — France, Germany, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Ireland, Italy and Portugal — was sent to the commission advocating this approach on 5 February. Europe is split on the issue, with those countries that have built up a substantial manufacturing industry in renewables largely in favour of binding renewable targets, and those that import the required technology, or rely heavily on nuclear power, largely against.
Austria’s wind federation IG Windkraft says the EC package is a homage to the nuclear industry, which lobbied hard for a single greenhouse gas target because this could also be reached with nuclear power. The recent flurry of new nuclear project announcements across the continent now seems no coincidence despite nuclear’s expense and problems that include operational safety, security and the cost of long term radioactive waste storage.