BAKU, Azerbaijan, Dec.24
By Leman Zeynalova – Trend:
The average share of energy from renewable sources in EU transport increased from 1.6 percent in 2004 to 8.9 percent in 2019, Trend reports citing Eurostat.
Among the EU Member States, the share of renewable energy in transport fuel consumption ranged from highs of 30.3 percent in Sweden, 21.3 percent in Finland and 12.5 percent in the Netherlands down to 4 percent or less in Greece and Lithuania (both 4.0 percent) and Cyprus (3.3 percent). Norway also reported a high share of renewable energy in transport fuel consumption (27.6 percent).
In 2019, 21 EU Member States registered an increase in the average share of energy from renewable sources in transport compared with 2018, with the largest increases observed for Finland (+3.6 percentage points (pp)), Croatia (+3.3 pp), the Netherlands (+2.9 pp) and Slovenia (+2.5 pp). Norway also registered a substantial increase (+6.1 pp).
Becoming the world’s first climate-neutral continent by 2050 is the objective behind the European Green Deal (COM(2019) 640 final), the very ambitious package of measures that should enable European citizens and businesses to benefit from sustainable green transition.
The use of renewable energy has many potential benefits, including a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, the diversification of energy supplies and a reduced dependency on fossil fuel markets (in particular, oil and gas). The growth of renewable energy sources may also stimulate employment in the EU, through the creation of jobs in new ‘green’ technologies.
The share of renewables in gross final energy consumption stood at 19.7 percent in the EU-27 in 2019, compared with 9.6 percent in 2004.
This positive development has been prompted by the legally binding targets for increasing the share of energy from renewable sources enacted by Directive 2009/28/EC on the promotion of the use of energy from renewable sources. While the EU as a whole is on course to meet its 2020 targets, some Member States will need to make additional efforts to meet their obligations as regards the two main targets: the overall share of energy from renewable sources in the gross final energy consumption and the specific share of energy from renewable sources in transport.
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