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France must not cave to Brussels on renewables, says ex-energy minister Pannier-Runacher

(EurActiv, 28 Mar 2024) France should continue refusing to include renewable targets in its energy-climate plan, which will be submitted to the European Commission in June, the country’s former energy minister Agnès Pannier-Runacher said this week.

This back-and-forth about including renewable targets in the energy-climate plan has been going on since last November when France submitted its National Energy and Climate Plan (NECP) to the Commission. This laid out its climate and energy targets for the coming years but did not include any renewable targets.

Targets, as required by the latest version of the Renewable Energy Directive (RED III), will target  EU countries with collectively achieving 42.5% of the EU’s gross final energy consumption from renewables by 2030. Its adoption in March 2023 was supported by France.

The target is an overall goal for Europe, so some states have higher or lower targets depending on their capacities. France’s target is a minimum of 44% renewable energy by 2030.

However, such a target would be pointless according to Pannier-Runacher, who as Frances’s energy transition minister, negotiating the RED revision and the NECP.

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EurActiv, 28 Mar 2024: France must not cave to Brussels on renewables, says ex-energy minister Pannier-Runacher

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