Commission’s new energy package vague & falls short of Green Deal

Today, the European Commission presented its legislative package on European Energy Policy. Among the proposed measures are tools for the decarbonisation of the European gas market and the creation of a hydrogen market, definition of low CO2 hydrogen, the so-called low carbon gasses, a regulation to reduce methane emissions and the revision of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive.

Ignazio Corrao MEP, Greens/EFA Member of the Industry, Research and Energy Committee, comments:

"The Commission’s gas package reads like the gas industry's Christmas wish list. The proposals remain vague and fall short of the announcements of the Green Deal and the climate conference in Glasgow. The phase-out of gas as a fossil fuel would be an important step for the implementation of the Green Deal, but remains a distant prospect with the proposals presented today. The Commission continues to focus on new gas projects and hardly reduces the EU's gas dependence on Russia. The Russian President, as the largest gas supplier to the European Union, can continue to fill his coffers through the European Union's energy dependence. The focus on gas can cost us dearly in view of exploding energy prices. We call for a halt to the Nord-Stream 2 gas pipeline, an end to investment in fossil fuel infrastructure, a phase-out of coal, oil and fossil gas as soon as possible and a redirection of investment into renewables."

Pär Holmgren MEP, Member of the Agriculture and Rural Development committee and the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety Committee, comments:

"The only way for the EU to reduce our emissions is with clear targets, measures and timelines. The Commission should therefore listen to the demands of the European Parliament and set binding rules to massively reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Methane gas, a harmful greenhouse gas, plays a central role in global warming. Cutting methane emissions by 45 percent by the end of the decade would get us closer to the 1.5 degrees target. We call for binding reduction targets and measures for the largest greenhouse gas emitters: agriculture, waste, the energy sector and the petrochemical industry. We have the technical possibilities for significant savings in methane emissions. In the energy sector, gas leaks in pipelines and decommissioned gas and coal-fired power plants must be tracked down and closed.

“Buildings can go from being the biggest energy consumer in the EU to being the energy saver and drive the implementation of the Green Deal. We call on Member States to raise their ambition for the renovation wave and make buildings greener. The future lies in more energy efficient and renewable energy powered buildings.”