20 June, Brussels – The European Commission has encouraged EU Members States that are not on track to meet their renewable energy targets to make greater use of co-operation mechanisms. Such mechanisms involve buying surplus renewable energy from other member states, or developing joint support schemes or projects.
The Commission’s Progress Report, which is published every two years, shows that whilst 25 of 28 countries are expected to meet their interim 2013/2014 target, nine Member States are likely to miss their 2020 targets. In the last progress report, in 2013, only Sweden, Estonia and Austria were expected to meet their targets.
However, nearly all countries appear to be lagging behind in the use of renewable energy in transport, which was at 5.7% in 2014. The target for 2020 is 10%. A major hurdle has been the delay in EU biofuels reform and a lack of progress in second generation biofuels.
For more information, see European Commission, DG Energy.