MPs and MEPs call for renewable energy compensation schemes
Members of the European Parliament and national parliaments called for compensation for renewable energy sources in order to create a level playing field in the energy market when they met in Gotland, Sweden on 8 to 10 June. Attendees at the interparliamentary meeting, which was organised by the European forum for renewable energy sources (EUFORES) and the Swedish bioenergy association (SVEBIO) agreed that renewable energies can and should provide a significant share of the total energy supply in Europe, but their potential is far from being realised. Reasons for this include the fact that energy prices do not reflect all external environmental and socio-economic costs born by the society as a whole, delegates concluded. 'Renewable energy sources must be compensated for their drastically lower external costs in comparison with conventional energies, until a truly level playing field is reached in the energy market and all external costs of energy are fully internalised in the energy prices. This compensation for avoided external costs should not be considered state aid,' state the meeting conclusions. MPs and MEPs added however that compensation schemes should only be applied to those renewable energy sources that provide true environmental and socio-economic benefits. Renewable energies to be compensated should therefore be clearly defined and large hydro and non-organic municipal wastes excluded. The harmonisation of energy taxation in Europe would facilitate a common approach, delegates agreed. In order to internalise external costs, delegates confirmed that they would like to see commitment from EU governments to the finalisation of the Kyoto Protocol at the July conference in Bonn. MPs and MEPs criticised the low implementation rate of EU objectives and guidelines at all administrative levels and called for EU policy priorities to be effectively embedded top-down in the administrative framework. Delegates also stressed that energy directly affects other EU policy areas, such as international cooperation, the common agricultural policy and regional development policy. MPs and MEPs would therefore like to see renewable energy sources and energy efficiency become priorities in these areas.