Commission adopted today its State of the Energy Union 2021
| The European Commission adopted on 27 October its State of the Energy Union Reports for 2021. The report is the first state of the energy union report since the adoption of the European Climate Law and the second since the adoption of the European Green Deal. The document analyses the five pillars of the Energy Union and identifies areas of future priority action in delivering the European Green Deal. This year report takes stock of the progresses that the EU is making in delivering the clean energy transition, and it is also published against the backdrop of an energy price spike across Europe, driven largely by increasing gas prices. The report also analyses how energy and climate policies have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic in the past year, and it presents the substantial legislative progress in pursuing the EU’s decarbonisation efforts. Some important data extrapolated from the report: – Renewables surpassed fossil fuels as the top power source in the EU for the first time in 2020, generating 38% of electricity compared to 37% for fossil fuels. Currently, 9 EU Member States have phased out coal, 13 have committed to a phase-out date, and four are exploring deadlines. In 2020, EU27 greenhouse gas emissions declined by about 10% compared to 2019, an exceptional drop in emissions due to the COVID-19 pandemic, bringing overall emission reductions to 31% since 1990. – Last year, primary energy consumption fell by 1.9%, while final energy consumption fell by 0.6%. Both percentages, however, are above the trajectory required to fulfill the EU’s 2020 and 2030 targets, and efforts at the Member State and EU levels must continue to address this issue. Subsidies for fossil fuels decreased marginally in 2020, while subsidies for renewable energy and energy efficiency both rose in 2020. Subsidies for fossil fuels are likely to rebound as economic activity picks up unless Member States take action. – In 2019, the EU’s net energy import dependency increased to 60.6%, up from 58.2% in 2018 and 56% in 2000. This is the greatest level in the last 30 years. You can read the report via this link. |