The Socialists and Democrats achieved realistic and necessary targets for the use of renewables in the EU energy mix. The S&D Group also made sure the new Renewable Energy Directive (RED) will include provisions for the increase in the share of renewable energy in buildings, industry, heating and cooling, and transport sector, and for the sustainable use of biomass. The contribution of the S&D Group significantly improves the initial legislative proposal. Thus, we closed a loophole in the text that would have led to the destruction of forests for the purpose of energy production. This is among the main achievements of the S&D Group that faced opposition from many other political families and some member states.
Nicolás González Casares, MEP and S&D negotiator on the Renewable Energy Directive in the European Parliament committee on industry, research and energy, said:
"For us, Socialists and Democrats, it was particularly important to reinforce the energy autonomy of Europeans and reduce their electricity bills. This is what we promised in our campaign “Bring the Bills Down” and with these achievements on the Renewable Energy Directive we are delivering.
"A binding target of covering 42.5% of the EU’s energy consumption through renewables by 2030 is realistic, while the agreement with the Council still allows for an additional 2,5% to achieve an overall of 45%. This is fundamental if the European Union really wants to achieve its decarbonisation objectives. This not just a matter of saving the planet from the climate emergency we live in. This is a matter of European energy security and a real step towards decreasing our dependence on imported energy raw materials.
"It was crucial for our Group to achieve accelerated permitting procedures for renewable energy projects. Now it just takes too long, and citizens and businesses often just give up on the idea due to the administrative burden. For us it is important to promote specific mapping and planning measures, reinforcing public participation and the involvement of citizens in new developments, speeding up administrative procedures and simplifying the processing of small projects, such as self-consumption facilities or energy communities."
Tiemo Wölken, MEP and S&D spokesperson for the European Parliament committee on environment, public health and food safety, said:
"It is disappointing that the categories of biomass that are eligible for the RED targets could not be limited further. Unfortunately, member states were unwilling to take an honest look at unsustainable use of forest biomass. With the agreement on limiting financial support we have a start, but the use of biomass will have to be critically assessed again in future."
