Negotiators from the European Parliament and Member States have this morning (June 14) struck a deal to raise the target for the proportion of energy it will source from renewables by 2030 to 32%, up from the previous 27% goal. The Renewable Energy Directive deal, which was agreed shortly before 4am, after 18 months of negotiations, included the legally-binding aim alongside an upward review clause by 2023. “This new ambition will help us meet our Paris Agreement goals and will translate into more jobs, lower energy bills for consumers and less energy imports,” EU climate commissioner Miguel Arias Cañete said. Whether the target will apply to the UK after it leaves the EU will depend on any exit deal reached between London and Brussels. The new target surpasses the 30% level that the UK recommended, but fell short of the hopes of new governments in Spain and Italy, as well as the RE-Source coalition of dozens of big-name businesses including Microsoft, Ikea, and Unilever, which had all argued for a more ambitious 35% share to spur investment in renewable energy. It also proved disappointing for activists at Greenpeace, which had lobbied for a 100% target and dubbed the newly agreed share “far too low”.
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