EU eyes binding targets to cut energy consumption

With the EU striving to meet its ambitious climate goals, the European Commission quizzed member nations Thursday on whether to make targets for cutting energy use legally binding.

EU Energy Commissioner Andris Piebalgs opened a debate with ministers at a meeting in Aare, central Sweden, on the bloc’s goal to cut consumption by 20 percent by 2020 becoming a mandatory target.
But many of the 27 countries are wary of imposing a new limit, conscious of the fact they already have a number of environmental commitments to honour.

The EU decided last December to cut its greenhouse gas emissions by 20 percent compared to 1990 levels by 2020 — the most ambitious target set thus far on the international stage.

To achieve that overarching goal, energy use would have to come down by 20 percent while 20 percent of all energy consumed by Europeans would come from renewable sources.

Only this last target is voluntary, meaning member states cannot be fined if they fail to reach it.

Yahoo!