EU Governance of Renewable Energy post-2020: Risks and Options
At the Policy Forum the Heinrich Böll Foundation and the Institute for European Studies will present a new report titled “Post 2020 EU governance of Renewable Energy” that seeks to shed light on how a post 2020 EU renewable energy policy and governance system can look like and what the options are to secure enhanced deployment of renewable energy across the EU, even in the absence of national binding targets. The report argues in favour of a strong legislative basis for future EU energy governance, preferably established through the review of existing EU energy legislation.
Following the European Commission’s 2030 climate and energy communication of January 2014 and the latest European Council it is expected that the EU’s post 2020 renewable energy and energy efficiency policy framework will change significantly. One major change that can be expected is the absence of national binding renewable energy targets post 2020. This can impact the chances for the EU to meets its own binding 2030 renewable energy target.
To mitigate this concern, the European Commission considers the introduction of a new energy governance system. This system seeks to establish a middle ground between Member States legislative freedom on energy policies and the goals and legislation at the EU level. However, little is known about this proposed governance system, most importantly if it will succeed in bringing about the EU wide targets.