The European Commission in Brussels met yesterday to discuss the country’s Renewable Energy Strategy. The Commission is in support of creating legally binding renewable energy targets for 2030. The strategy states legislation for renewable energy would generate over 3 million jobs and could save in 2050 between 518 to 550 billion Euros on spending for fossil fuel imports. The continuation of an EU-side specific renewable energy framework beyond 2020 would result in a net GDP growth by 0.36%-0.40%. The strategy said, “This increases our security of supply.”

“European Ministers must turn this message into action and back a renewable energy target for 2030, as supported by the Strategy’s Impact Assessment,” said Stephane Bourgeois, Head of Regulatory Affairs of the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA) in Brussels. “A legally binding renewable energy target for 2030 is crucial if we want to foster Europe’s leadership in wind energy, and in particular offshore wind.”

EWEA is also backing the European Commission’s criticism of abrupt changes that took place recently regarding support mechanisms for renewable energies in several EU member states.

Bourgeois said, “Retroactive changes in support mechanisms undermine investor confidence in the sector and could put the 2020 renewable energy targets at risk. We share the Commission’s concerns, but the Commission must now take all legal means to prevent this.”