Renewables Directive makes progress

Deal between European Parliament and Council of Ministers leaves Directive on track for first reading on 17 December

A deal struck today between European Parliament and Council of Ministers leaves the proposed renewables Directive on track for first reading on 17 December. The Directive would establish mandatory national targets for Member States to ensure that the EU reaches its climate target for renewable energy to account for at least 20% of total energy consumption by 2020. The UK would have to supply 15% of its energy from renewables to meet its share of the target.

The deal, known as a "political agreement", says that the Commission's review of the Directive by 2014 will not affect the overall 20% target but will serve to improve, if necessary, the efficiency of cooperation mechanisms. Last week NGOs such as Friends of the Earth warned that if the review included the target investor confidence would be badly dented.

Member States would be allowed to run joint projects with one or more other Member States on green electricity production, heating or cooling; transfer renewable energy "statistically" between each other; and join or partly coordinate their national support schemes.

The deal also adds the possibility to count green electricity consumed in a Member State but produced by newly constructed joint projects with third countries.

The agreement retains the target for biofuels to account for 10% of transport fuels. But it says second-generation biofuels produced from waste, residues, or non-food cellulosic and ligno-cellulosic biomass would be double credited towards the 10% target. Renewable electricity consumed by electric cars would be considered to be 2.5 times its input.

• European Parliament news release
• Friends of the Earth news release