EU sustainable energy week begins: Europe hoping to meet renewable energy targets

As Europe’s Sustainable Energy Week gets underway in Brussels, current estimates show that the European Union is likely to surpass its target to make twenty per cent of its energy consumption available from renewable sources.

The Sustainable Energy Week (EUSEW), which forms part of the European Commission’s Sustainable Energy Europe Campaign, hopes to drive forward the EU’s renewable energy aspirations. 2009’s event comprised almost one hundred and fifty events in and around Brussels with around thirty thousand participants. The event, organised by the Executive Agency for Competitiveness and Innovation (EACI) on behalf of the European Commission's Directorate-General for Energy and Transport, runs from the 22nd to the 26th of March.

Meanwhile, the EU has revealed that its target to make twenty per cent of its energy consumption available from renewable sources should be surpassed by 2020, according to national forecasts.

"These forecasts show that Member States take renewable energy very seriously and are really dedicated to push their domestic production,” says Günther Oettinger, European Commissioner responsible for Energy. “It is an important milestone in the achievement of the goals set in the Europe 2020 Strategy. This is a very positive sign for the environment, as it will help us to cut CO2 emissions and at the same time enhance our energy security. It is also a very positive message for our economy and our companies. It is an incentive to invest in green technology and the production of renewable energy. Our task will be to help all Member States not only to reach the 20 per cent target but to go beyond".

The forecasts show that ten of the twenty-seven member states are likely to exceed their national targets for renewable energy, with a further twelve states predicted to meet their goals domestically. Only five states are expected to not meet their targets, and the EU emphasises its commitment to providing strategies to help all member states meet the energy targets.

(Source: European Commission)

For more information on the EUSEW, visit the event website.To find out more about the EU’s renewable energy targets, visit the European Commission website.

Published: Monday, 22nd March 2010 by Tom Freeman

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