ENVIRONMENT COMMISSIONER Stavros Dimas said yesterday he was confident European leaders would sign up to the bloc’s climate change package at next week’s EU summit.
His upbeat assessment came after negotiators from the European Parliament and states inched closer to a deal on a key part of the package to boost the use of green energy.
In behind-closed-doors talks in Brussels, negotiators agreed to require 10 per cent of energy for road and rail transport to come from renewable sources, principally biofuels, by 2020.
Electricity generated from renewables will have to make up a portion of the 10 per cent target under a deal that includes safeguards over biofuel use.
“The 10 per cent agrifuels target has been seriously undermined,” said Green MEP Claude Turmes, the parliament negotiator who fought to ensure biofuels would not make up the full 10 per cent target.
“The future cars will be electric . . . and there will be a strong push to get all trains in Europe to run on green electricity.”
The EU’s climate change package pledges to cut CO2 emissions by 20 per cent by 2020, compared to 2005 levels in Europe.
It also pledges to boost energy efficiency by 20 per cent and boost the use of renewable energy to 20 per cent of Europe’s energy mix. The overall targets were agreed last year but some EU states are expressing serious concerns about the complex rules.
Italy and Poland have threatened to veto the climate package unless they win concessions.
At an environment ministers’ meeting in Brussels, Italy again threatened not to support the package unless it won concessions to protect its glass, paper and ceramic industries from emissions-reduction targets and got a review clause on the energy targets.
This review clause would allow member states to revise the 20 per cent renewables targets in 2014 and is being fought hard by the commission and parliament.
However, there were clear signs of a compromise emerging yesterday with a deal between MEPs and states on the 10 per cent target for renewable energy use for road and rail transport.
The parliament had blocked the 10 per cent target for biofuels over fears that boosting demand would lead to higher food prices and the destruction of rain forest. But under a compromise deal, member states have agreed up to one-third of the 10 per cent target must be met through use of electricity produced from renewables such as wind or solar energy.
“The fact that we have made such great progress guarantees us that we will have an agreement in a few days,” said Mr Dimas after the environment ministers’ meeting.
Minister for the Environment John Gormley said he thought a deal would be reached next week.
He said he was confident EU partners would agree to amend the package to provide Ireland with more flexibility to meet its own emissions-reduction target.
The Government is pressing to use forestry as a carbon sink to help it meet targets. It also wants more flexibility for states with high emissions from agriculture.