The European Parliament approves a new Renewable Energy Directive.

The renewable energy directive has already seen the light of day, following the unprecedented geopolitical situation created by the Russian invasion of Ukraine and high energy prices. Indeed, on September 14, the European Parliament voted in favor of raising the gross final consumption of renewable energy in the European Union to 45% by 2030, compared to the current target of 32%. All of this is in line with the European Commission’s position and above the 40% proposed by EU countries. The plenary session of the European Parliament has aligned with this 45% as a negotiating position with the Council and the Commission in the revision of the Renewable Energy Directive, which is part of the broad “Fit For 55” legislative package to reduce CO2 emissions by 55% by 2030, compared to 1990 levels. Furthermore, within the package to reduce CO2 emissions by 55% by 2030, MEPs advocated for raising the ambition of the Energy Efficiency Directive for 2030 and reducing the EU’s final energy consumption by 40% by 2030 and primary energy consumption by 41.5%, compared to 2007 levels. Thus, the new regulation raises its climate and energy targets for 2030, as well as the climate neutrality targets set in the European Climate Law, but above all it responds to the urgency of reducing both the Union’s external energy dependence and energy prices. Indeed, according to data indicating that buildings account for 40% of energy consumed and 36% of direct and indirect greenhouse gas emissions, it is necessary to increase the deployment of solutions to address the energy transition, the European body notes. To this end, large-scale renewable energy, reducing the use of fossil fuels in buildings, and accelerating decarbonization are the key measures the directive aims to deploy rapidly. The European institution also highlights the slowness and complexity of administrative procedures as one of the main obstacles to investments in renewable energy. Without going further, according to the study “RES Simplify,” prepared for the European Commission, administrative and coverage issues are the main obstacle in 46% of cases. In particular, bureaucracy in processes and lack of legal coherence, as well as an incomplete and abstract framework and guidelines leading to different interpretations of legislation by authorities, are obstacles to the implementation of projects and initiatives for decarbonization. As a result, the execution time for such a project can be up to ten years. The approved directive also aims to further simplify and shorten these administrative processes in a coordinated and harmonized manner across the EU, which is necessary to accelerate the deployment of renewable energy in all member countries and ensure the achievement of ambitious climate and energy targets for 2030, as well as its climate neutrality goal for 2050. From 2023, Member States must submit biennial reports on progress in implementing the plans and, in addition, no later than June 30, 2023, communicate to the Commission the draft updates of their plans. The deadline for final updates is June 30, 2024. The European Union thus responds to the current difficult situation in a coordinated and urgent manner to accelerate the deployment of renewable energy sources and ensure the supply of all its citizens. At Edison Next, we align ourselves with this new directive and make ourselves available to our clients to help them achieve the goals set by Europe through improving their energy efficiency, reducing their energy consumption, and optimizing their production. All of this, with a focus on addressing the global energy transition and reducing the carbon footprint of the entire business sector.