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Conclusions on 2030 Climate and Energy Policy Framework

European Council. Brussels, 23 October 2014 (OR. en) SN 79/14

Wednesday 5 November 2014, by Carlos San Juan


Conclusions on 2030 Climate and Energy Policy Framework:

I. 2030 CLIMATE AD ENERGY POLICY FRAMEWORK 1. Substantial progress has been made towards the attainment of the EU targets for greenhouse gas emission reduction, renewable energy and energy efficiency, which need to be fully met by 2020. On the basis of the principles identified in the March 2014 European Council conclusions, the European Council agreed today on the 2030 climate and energy policy framework for the European Union. Accordingly, the EU will submit its contribution, at the latest by the first quarter of 2015, in line with the timeline agreed by the UNFCCC in Warsaw for the conclusion of a global climate agreement.

2. The European Council endorsed a binding EU target of an at least 40% domestic reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 compared to 1990. To that end :

2.1 the target will be delivered collectively by the EU in the most cost-effective manner possible, with the reductions in the ETS and non-ETS sectors amounting to 43% and 30% by 2030 compared to 2005, respectively;

2.2 all Member States will participate in this effort, balancing considerations of fairness and solidarity;

EU ETS

2.3 a well-functioning, reformed Emissions Trading System (ETS) with an instrument to stabilise the market in line with the Commission proposal will be the main European instrument to achieve this target; the annual factor to reduce the cap on the maximum permitted emissions will be changed from 1.74% to 2.2% from 2021 onwards;

Non-ETS sectors

2.10 the methodology to set the national reduction targets for the non-ETS sectors, with all the elements as applied in the Effort Sharing Decision for 2020, will be continued until 2030, with efforts distributed on the basis of relative GDP per capita. All Member States will contribute to the overall EU reduction in 2030 with the targets spanning from 0% to
 40% compared to 2005;

2.11 targets for the Member States with a GDP per capita above the EU average will be relatively adjusted to reflect cost-effectiveness in a fair and balanced manner;

2.12 the availability and use of existing flexibility instruments within the non-ETS sectors will be significantly enhanced in order to ensure cost-effectiveness of the collective EU effort and convergence of emissions per capita by 2030. A new flexibility in achieving targets (...) will be established through a limited, one-off, reduction of the ETS allowances, to be decided before 2020, while preserving predictability and environmental integrity;

Renewables and energy efficiency

3. An EU target of at least 27% is set for the share of renewable energy consumed in the EU in 2030. This target will be binding at EU level.

Conclusions on 2030 Climate and Energy Policy Framework

Achieving a fully functioning and connected internal energy market

4. The European Council noted the fundamental importance of a fully functioning and connected internal energy market. Recalling the March 2014 conclusions on its completion, the European Council stressed that all efforts must be mobilised to achieve this objective as a matter of urgency. Preventing inadequate interconnections of Member States with the European gas and electricity networks and ensuring synchronous operation of Member States within the European Continental Networks as foreseen in the European Energy Security Strategy will also remain a priority after 2020. In that context it decided that:

— the European Commission supported by the Member States will take urgent measures in order to ensure the achievement of a minimum target of 10% of existing electricity interconnections, as a matter of urgency, and no later than 2020 at least for Member States which have not yet attained a minimum level of integration in the internal energy market, which are the Baltic States, Portugal and Spain, and for Member States which constitute their main point of access to the internal energy market. The Commission will monitor progress and will report to the European Council on all possible sources of financing including on the possibilities of EU financing in order to ensure that the 10% target will be met.(...)

– Member States and the Commission will facilitate the implementation of projects of common interest including those identified in the European Energy Security Strategy which link in particular the Baltic States, Spain and Portugal, to the rest of the internal energy market, ensure that they have the highest priority and will be completed by 2020. Special attention will be paid to the more remote and/or less well connected parts of the single market such as Malta, Cyprus and Greece. (...)

– where the implementation of these projects will not suffice to reach the 10% target, new projects will be identified, added as a matter of priority in the upcoming review of the list of projects of common interest and swiftly implemented. EU co-financing should be made available for these projects.

Energy security

5. Recalling its conclusions of June 2014, the European Council endorsed further actions to reduce the EU’s energy dependence and increase its energy security for both electricity and gas. (...)

The European Council agreed on the following points (see full text)

Attached documents

  • Document (PDF - 136.3 kb)
    Conclusions on 2030 Climate and Energy Policy Framework. 2014 European Council.

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