Download EUROPEAN COMMISSION PUBLIC CONSULTATION ON THE

EUROPEAN COMMISSION
PUBLIC CONSULTATION ON THE EUROPE 2020 STRATEGY
Name: Partners for Euro-African Green Energy (PANGEA)
Contact details:
Address: Rue du Trône, 91, 1050 Brussels, Belgium
Phone number: +32 28 51 64 77
E-mail: [email protected]
Country of residence: Belgium
Language of your contribution: English
Type of organisation:
Member State
Public authority
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Individual citizen
Non-registered organisation/company
Other, please specify:
Main area(s) covered by your contribution:
Economic and financial affairs
Competitiveness
Industry
Single market
Employment
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Research, development and innovation
Digital economy
Climate, energy and resource efficiency
Education
Poverty/social exclusion
Other, please specify:
Register ID number (if you/your organisation is registered in the Transparency
register): 94140411659-52
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A) Background for the public consultation:
The Europe 2020 strategy was launched in March 2010 as the EU's strategy for promoting
smart, sustainable and inclusive growth. It aims to achieve a knowledge-based, competitive
European economy while preserving the EU's social market economy model and improving
resource efficiency. It was thus conceived as a partnership between the EU and its Member
States driven by the promotion of growth and jobs.
The Europe 2020 strategy is built around five headline targets in the areas of employment,
research and development, climate and energy1, education and the fight against poverty and
social exclusion. The strategy also set out a series of action programmes, called "flagship
initiatives", in seven fields considered to be key drivers for growth, namely innovation, the
digital economy, employment and youth, industrial policy, poverty and resource efficiency.
The objectives of the strategy are also supported by action at EU level in areas such as the
single market, the EU budget and the EU external agenda.
The Europe 2020 strategy is implemented and monitored in the context of the European
Semester, the yearly cycle of coordination of economic and budgetary policies at EU level.
The European Semester involves discussion among EU institutions on broad priorities,
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In January 2014 the Commission launched a framework for energy and climate policies up to 2030. A
reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 40% below the 1990 level, an EU-wide binding target for
renewable energy of at least 27% and renewed ambitions for energy efficiency policies are among the
main objectives of the new framework.
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annual commitments by the Member States and country-specific recommendations prepared
by the Commission and endorsed at the highest level by leaders in the European Council.
These recommendations should then be taken on board in the Member States' policies and
budgets. As such, together with the EU budget, the country-specific recommendations are
key instruments for the implementation of the Europe 2020 strategy.
After four years, the Commission has proposed, and the European Council of 20-21 March
2014 has agreed, to initiate a review of the Europe 2020 strategy. On 5 March 2014, the
Commission adopted a Communication "Taking stock of the Europe 2020 strategy for smart,
sustainable and inclusive growth" (Communication and Annexes ). drawing preliminary
lessons on the first years of implementation of the strategy. Building on these first outcomes
and in a context of a gradual recovery of the European economies, it is time to reflect on the
design of the strategy for the coming years.
Through these questions, we are seeking your views on the lessons learned from the early
years of the Europe 2020 strategy and on the elements to be taken into account in its further
development, in order to build the post-crisis growth strategy of the EU.
B) Questions:
1) Taking stock: the Europe 2020 strategy over 2010-2014
Content and implementation
The Europe 2020 Strategy is an effective way to set parallel long-term targets that define the
strategy for EU-wide policy making, whilst integrating such targets into the European
economy and political landscape. Setting targets in a forward-thinking manner helps to
provide stability for public and private actors that operate alongside or within the EU, and the
EU should endeavour to continue providing such regulatory and political stability up until
2020, but also beyond, defining new targets for 2030 and further into the future.
The main element that concerns PANGEA is the flagship initiative for a ‘Resource Efficient
Europe’ and the related targets for reduced GHG emissions, renewable energy use and
energy efficiency. The 2020 targets set within this strategy; a 20% reduction in GHG
emissions, a 27% share of renewable energy in the overall energy mix and a 20% target for
energy efficiency directly relate to our work in supporting and promoting the emergence of a
sustainable African bioenergy industry that can also play a role in helping Europe attain
these renewable energy goals. Perhaps more importantly, the EU 2020 strategy and related
policy on sustainability provides guidance to the emerging renewables and bioenergy sectors
in Africa.
By focusing on climate and energy aspects in such a way, the Europe 2020 Strategy has
proved effective by contributing to lowering carbon emissions in the EU since its inception
and by increasing the share of renewables in the total energy mix. However, primary energy
consumption has not followed a similar decreasing trend. Statistics show that the renewable
energy share is currently at 12% of total energy consumption, whilst the target is 20% by
2020. Biomass currently consists of two-thirds of this renewable energy mix, demonstrating
the importance of bioenergy to the EU energy mix. Therefore, the EU 2020 Strategy must be
followed by renewed support for biomass-based sources of renewable energy in policy going
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forward and endeavour to address current issues related to the uncertainty of future policy
support for bioenergy sources. Recognition of the important role that bioenergy can play in
helping the EU to meet its Europe 2020 targets will not only contribute to progress on the
climate and energy fronts, but it can also help to increase employment through the entire
supply chain, from feedstock production and processing in rural areas to logistics and
blending in urban areas, and foster improved international relations through trade. This will
require continued and stronger financial support from the EU for the renewables industry,
including research and development efforts for advanced biofuels.
Estimates have shown that the EU has limited land resources available for the cultivation of
biofuels, but that does not mean the EU should stop supporting the consumption of biofuels
as an integral component of the EU’s renewable energy mix. Africa is well endowed with
sufficient natural resources to produce biofuels sustainably (land resources, adequate
rainfall) and its proximity to the EU means that EU-Africa trade in bioenergy represents a
promising environmental, economic and political opportunity that the EU would do well to
capitalise on with a more supportive policy treatment of biofuels in its broader energy and
climate targets.
Tools
The climate and energy targets are the most important within the Europe 2020 Strategy as
they are significant not only for Europe but for the rest of the world. African environmental
policy and energy consumption closely follows the EU policy framework, and the same is true
for much of the rest of the world. In order for EU policy to maintain its relevance to global
climate action with a strong focus on sustainability, the targets must be sufficiently ambitious
to set an example.
The Europe 2020 Strategy and the climate and energy targets are an important ‘soft power’
tool for the EU and act as a beacon to guide climate and energy progress in Africa, where
PANGEA’s work is focused. We advocate for the continued progressiveness of European
targets to encourage the African climate and energy industries to follow suit in a sustainable
manner. The targets should anticipate possible changes to the system of energy demand
and consumption and be set in a forward-thinking manner that would take into account any
such changes, and consider the potential for substantial technological progress that would
allow the EU to meet more stringent targets in the future than seems currently possible.
The Europe 2020 Strategy should be sufficiently ambitious to ensure that the targets are to
remain progressive, whilst ensuring that the policy is encouraging for stakeholders to
continue to reduce emissions and switch to renewable energy. That demand will in turn
encourage private sector to invest in supply. In this regard, the climate and energy targets
could have been set higher. If the EU has the long-term goal of 80-95% emissions reduction
by 2050, the emissions target could have been set higher, for example at 30% for 2020. At
present, the targets are not ambitious enough to ensure that the more longer-term targets will
be met and therefore, there will have to be substantially more ambitious targets set in the
next round of energy policy agreements as should be the case in the 2030 Climate and
Energy Framework.
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2) Adapting the Europe 2020 strategy: the growth strategy for a post-crisis Europe
Content and implementation
Prioritising climate and energy objectives can be an effective way to achieve smart,
sustainable and inclusive growth in post-crisis Europe. Policy targets that support the
expansion of the renewables sector will create jobs in this area and by expanding to include
a broader range of sectors within emissions reductions schemes will create more ‘green’ jobs
across the private sector more generally. Therefore, ambitious climate and energy targets
will create ambitious growth in jobs in the renewables sector.
Sustainable bioenergy has an important role to play in the growth strategy for a post-crisis
Europe and supporting it has advantages for ensuring European energy security. Promoting
access to energy from renewable sources can avoid European energy dependency on fossil
fuels, of which supply can be volatile (as seen most recently with Russia and the Ukraine).
Intermittent or unreliable energy supply has implications for European economic welfare and
so a valid strategy for tackling post-crisis growth is necessary in ensuring the stability of
energy supply. In this regard, Europe should support, financially and with binding targets,
research and innovation into the scale-up of large-scale biogas production, for example,
rather than a dependency on foreign supplies of natural gas. If Europe is to meet its energy
demand from international trade, it should seek out reliable partners that are able to offer an
uninterrupted supply of sustainable energy. Africa presents such a potential partner for
Europe – as the continent is well placed, geographically and ecologically, to meet the
European energy demand for sustainable crop-based liquid biofuels. Stimulating trade in this
area can have a positive impact on post-crisis growth in the EU.
Further support for this argument comes from the fact that European companies are
enthusiastic about developing energy production facilities and investments on the African
continent, which can have positive economic impact on European growth and employment
levels. However, such companies will not proceed with investment without sufficient policy
support and stability from the EU. The role of bioenergy in meeting the 2020 climate and
energy targets should be clarified and any outstanding issues of uncertainty should be dealt
with at the earliest possible juncture.
Tools
The Europe 2020 Strategy has had a positive impact on climate and energy targets as
shown by some observable progress towards meeting these targets. However, the lack of a
separate sub-target for transport emissions in the strategy is a significant oversight.
PANGEA recommends the inclusion of a specific target for the decarbonisation of the
transport sector. The transport sector is the second-largest emitter in the EU and biofuels
offer a unique solution to the current overconsumption of fossil fuels. Revisions to the RED
and FQD should clarify their support for biofuels due to their unique contributions to the
decarbonisation of the transport sector.
Additionally, the sub-targets for advanced biofuels and bioenergy technologies should be
matched with financial incentives to encourage research and development into their
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production and large-scale deployment. This is the kind of innovation that would not only
stimulate smart, sustainable and inclusive growth in the EU, but would also generate the
knowledge that will be valuable to sustainable energy efforts at the global level.
Furthermore, the contradictory nature of some of the sub-targets and conditions in policy
targets related to climate and energy should be reviewed. For example, the RED specifies
that the EU must meet a 10% renewables target in transport, which is equal to 15.2% volume
ethanol and 11% volume FAME in fuels. However, the FQD contradicts this target as under
this the blending limits allowed in petrol and diesel are 10% volume ethanol and 7% volume
FAME. This means that the RED transport target cannot be met with liquid biofuels, hence
the introduction of double counting for advanced biofuels. This unfortunate policy
contradiction is a source of uncertainty for European bioenergy and failing to address it does
not fully allow the EU to take advantage of the decarbonisation potential of biofuels for
transport. Additionally, the cap on the contribution that first generation biofuels can contribute
to achieving the RED transport target is inconsistent. First generation biofuels offer a
sustainable way to reach the 10% renewable energy target in transport, when done
sustainably. The Europe 2020 Strategy should take a comprehensive view of the whole
system of EU policies and targets to ensure that they complement rather than contradict
each other.
3) Do you have any other comment or suggestion on the Europe 2020 strategy that
you would like to share?
With transport being the second-largest carbon emitter in the EU, we cannot emphasise
enough that more attention must be placed on trying to cut emissions in this sector. The
transport sector depends heavily on fossil fuels, which can be easily replaced by crop-based
biofuels that can decarbonise the sector given the right policies.
Additionally, the opportunities of partnering with African biofuel producers should not be
overlooked. They are well placed and ready to supply the needs of the EU for energy in a
sustainable way that ensures economic and rural development for both north and south.
More financial incentives for EU companies to produce their own sustainable, renewable
energy should be addressed. This would increase the number of small-scale systems, which
can supply surplus amounts of energy to the grid securing energy supply and also another
source of revenue within the EU.
Thank you for completing the questionnaire. Please send your contribution, along with any
other documents, to [email protected] before October 31st
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