EU citizens want higher 2030 renewable targets - survey

Mar 7, 2014 - The European Union (EU) member states should set higher renewable energy targets say about 90% of the respondents in a Eurobarometer survey by the European Commission made ahead of EU debates on the issue.

The poll results, released on Thursday, show that 90% of the respondents consider that governments should set targets to increase renewable energy consumption, while 49% of the Europeans say that it is “very important”.

Member states of the European Union (EU) where most people call for the increase of renewable energy goals are Cyprus and Malta. Cyprus leads the ranking, with about 83% of the respondents demanding higher targets, closely followed by Malta with 81%. About 68% of the people polled in Sweden have expressed support for increased targets, as well.

Member states where respondents have expressed the opinion that renewable energy goals are not important are Estonia, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic and Latvia.

The European Parliament showed in February its strong support for a 2030 renewable energy goal of no less than 30% in final energy consumption and binding targets for member states. The EC in January launched a proposal for raising the current 20% target for 2030 to 27% at the EU level but not enforceable on the member state. The final 2030 targets need to be approved by the EU governments and the European Parliament.

According to the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA), a binding target of at least 30% will open 568,000 jobs in Europe.

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