The EU has “continued to make good progress on delivering the Energy Union objectives” in recent years, in particular on the 2020 energy and climate targets, having already achieved its 2020 final energy consumption target, according to the Second Report on the State of the Energy Union issued by the European Commission on February 1.
According to the report, “the same is true for greenhouse gas emissions” as in 2015, EU greenhouse gas emissions were 22% below the 1990 level.
The EU is also on track in the renewable sector where – based on 2014 data – the share of renewables reached 16 % of the EU's gross final energy consumption.
Another key trend is that the EU “continues to successfully decouple its economic growth from its greenhouse gas emissions” the EC said. During the 1990-2015 period, the EU's combined gross domestic product (GDP) grew by 50 %, while total emissions decreased by 22 %.
Moreover, following the conclusion of the Paris Agreement in December 2015, “it was the swift ratification by the EU that enabled the entry into force of the first-ever universal, legally-binding global climate deal on 4 November 2016.”
“Work on the Energy Union in the past months has included a reinforced focus on energy diplomacy, designed to strengthen security of energy supply, to expand exports of EU low carbon technology solutions and to boost Europe's industrial competitiveness” the EC said.
Furthermore, in 2016, the Commission also presented a European low emission mobility strategy which set the goal to reach a 60% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from transport by mid-century compared to 1990 levels “and be firmly on the path towards zero, while ensuring the mobility needs of people and goods as well as global connectivity.”
2017 to be "year of implementation"
"The Energy Union is about more than energy and climate alone, it is about accelerating the fundamental modernisation of Europe's entire economy, making it low-carbon, energy and resource efficient, in a socially fair manner” said Maros Sefcovic, vice-president responsible for the Energy Union.
“We should also strengthen the Energy Union's external dimension, to enhance the EU's global leadership role” he said, adding that “now that a large part of the relevant legislative proposals are on the table, 2017 should be the year of implementation.”
Sefkovic is to start a new Energy Union tour on February 3, during which the Commission will carry out “further in-depth analysis of Member States' policies.”