The deadline for submitting new proposals on the roadmaps on the future of continental energy to the European Commission is set for 21 September. Roadmaps are the descriptive documents about the overall goals towards decarbonization and require updates in order not to be inadequate over time. There are two of them and they will have to give strength and content to the mega European Green Deal on which the Commission stakes a lot of credibility. “To successfully realize the ambition of Green Deal we have started assessing the impact of more ambitious 2030 climate targets and the different scenarios for achieving them”, said the Commissioner for Energy Kadri Simson.
In detail, the roadmap on the renewable energy directive will have to establish whether the 32% ceiling by 2030 is still good or needs to be raised. The one on the energy efficiency directive "will instead evaluate the adequacy of the rules in force to achieve the current objective in terms of energy efficiency" according to reports from the Aise agency. In this case we are talking about at least 32,5%, again by 2030, to be made compatible with the objectives of the national plans. Many of these are being updated, as the Commission itself has invited governments to do so.
The proposals for the revision of the roadmaps will have to come from associations and companies representing all economic sectors. But a broader public consultation will begin immediately afterwards, during which it is not difficult to foresee the re-emergence of differences between member countries that are not yet ready to abandon the use of coal. There will still be disputes over the value of the UN goals for 2050 which are not always considered to adhere to national economies.
Kadri Simson is still optimistic, although she is moving the implementation of the new directives to June 2021. “We have to evaluate all the tools we have to achieve our goals, she adds. The current roadmaps represent the beginning of a process that will guide our future action starting from June 2021”. In the meantime, we should see the Climate Target Plan approved. Another fundamental tool to understand if the majority of countries, at least, are serious. In previous EU forecasts of a low-carbon economy, climate targets involve annual investments of 1,5% of GDP. Given how it went with the Recovery Fund, we need to be very vigilant.
