The European Framework for Promoting Renewable Energy

Abstract

Promotion of the use of renewable energy sources has become a core element of climate policy, and a policy framework for renewables has developed since the 1990s in the EU. The EU directive on renewable electricity sets a target of 22.1% share of electricity produced from renewable energy sources in the total electricity consumption of the EU by 2010. However, the target of the directive is not mandatory but indicative. In addition, the policy framework for collaboration between member counties is not included. Thereafter, promotion of the use of renewable energy has had a more important role in the debate for making the common Energy Policy for Europe since 2006. The Renewable Energy Roadmap that was issued in 2007 emphasizes the need to develop a new directive for the promotion of renewable sources of energy. The Commission of the European Communities presented its proposal for the new directive in January 2008. Though a green certificate system, which the Commission wants to introduce, has strong opposition within the Council of the European Union and the European Parliament, the directive is thought to include a mandatory target on the share of renewable energy of the total energy consumption and to have a common policy framework for collaborative action between member states in order to achieve the target.