The EU on Wednesday unveiled "clean energy" plans to boost renewables, cut waste and reduce subsidies for coal power in a bid to meet commitments under the Paris climate deal. Binding energy efficiency targets would also be raised by 30 percent by 2030 under the sweeping package of measures from the European Commission, the European Union's executive arm.
But environmental groups criticised the 28-nation EU for doing too little to end subsidies for carbon-spewing coal power plants and said investments in renewables had been undermined. "We will help Europe turn the Paris agreement into concrete action," EU climate commissioner Miguel Canete told reporters in Brussels. Under the Paris climate deal struck almost a year ago, the EU plans to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent by 2030, compared against 1990 levels and make renewable energy account for 27 percent of energy use.
In 2030, the EU aims to have half of the bloc's electricity come from renewables such as wind and solar power. By 2050, it hopes electricity will be carbon free. The package calls for making renewable energy increasingly market-based under a regulatory framework. "Our proposals will boost trading across borders, create a level playing field for renewables, and remove barriers for new actors in the market, and ensuring certainty for investors," Canete said.
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