Brussels, 20 June 2012 “One way to support economic growth in the EU is to gain leadership in green technologies. To achieve this, EU has to decide on strong policy priorities and translate them into clear signals for industry and investors!“ said Claude Turmes, MEP and EUFORES President after a EUFORES high level parliamentary debate in the European Commission in Brussels.

“In order to get the highest investors' confidence for renewables, we first need to fully implement the excellent framework provided by the 2009 renewables energy legislation and in parallel urge the EU Heads of State to make renewables investments a top priority in the new growth and jobs strategy for Europe. In a second step, in 2013 EU Commission should present ideas on the magnitude of a new binding renewables target for 2030 based on a high efficient and high renewables scenario of the PRIMES model,” continued Claude Turmes.

Fiona Hall, MEP and EUFORES Vice-President added: “There is no reason to hesitate about going for a long-term strategy when it comes to clean energy technologies. Renewables and energy efficiency are ready to be implemented all over Europe. It is just a matter of decisiveness about doing what is necessary. Europe has all it needs to turn the clean technology sector into a key driver of sustainable growth. The EU should understand that renewables and energy efficiency are not only important for the environment but also for economic prosperity and democratic stability. The European Institutions, EU Member State Governments and National Parliaments should join forces and show strong leadership. Europe can lead the world in this area.”

Claude Turmes and Fiona Hall were speakers at the EUFORES conference “Members of national Parliaments: Key drivers for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency” which took place on 19 June 2012. A 3-hours panel discussion of parliamentarians from the European Parliament and national parliaments with representatives of the European Commission focused on the implementation of renewable energy and energy efficiency policies in the EU. Claude Turmes and Fiona Hall debated with António Leitão Amaro, MP Portugal, Willem-Frederik Schiltz, MP Belgium, Cáit Keane, Senator Ireland, Marie Donnelly and Paula Rey Garcia from European Commission.

“Building successful energy policies in EU is a two-step approach. First, EU institutions have to come up with forward-looking policies. Second, Member States have to implement them on the national level,” Fiona Hall pointed out. “That is the reason why we need to intensify cooperation with national parliaments so that they can obtain more ownership of EU legislation. This would definitely lead to a more effective implementation of policies that are forged in Brussels,” she continued.  

More information about EUFORES: www.eufores.org 

EUFORES in brief

European Forum for Renewable Energy Sources

EUFORES is a European parliamentary network with Members from all major political groups in the European Parliament as well as in the national EU Member States Parliaments. EUFORES promotes the deployment of renewable energy sources and energy efficiency within Europe. It is a non-profit organisation founded 1995 by Members of Parliament and other key actors.