EU

Food & Environment / EU Sustainable Energy

Europe’s energy and climate policy has set ambitious targets for a sustainable, secure and competitive energy system.

There are three main objectives:

Security of supply: to better coordinate the UK and the EU’s supply of, and demand for, energy internationally;

Competitiveness: to ensure the competitiveness of the British economy and the availability of affordable energy;

Sustainability: to combat climate change by promoting renewable energy sources and energy efficiency.

These objectives have been translated into binding targets. By 2020, the UK has committed itself to the EU goal of:

Reducing its greenhouse-gas emissions by 20% (or even 30% if other countries formally agree to do the same)

Increasing the share of renewable energies to 20% of total energy consumption

Increasing the share of renewable energies in transport to 10%

Improving energy efficiency by 20%.

In January 2008, the Commission tabled proposals for allocating and monitoring the national contributions to achieve the overall EU target. The UK’s own target is for 15% of total domestic energy demand to be met from renewable sources.