A report by the Guardian suggests the European Commission are considering energy efficiency targets that fall below the proposed 30% minimum.
Designated Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, who is expected to take over fully as President this year, backs the 30% minimum currently set, meaning his Presidency is off to an already tough start.
Energy efficiency has become an even hotter topic amongst EU politicians due to the Ukraine crisis, and the realisation that the cut off from Russia would have huge consequences for the EU in terms of energy savings and uses.
With the Ukraine acting as a transit nation, ferrying roughly half the total Russian gas supplied to the EU, the harsh reality is that due to the conflict ongoing, the EU will be forced to source gas through other options. The market for gas will be heavily affected and costs are inevitably due to soar as a result. This has been calculated by the Commission in regards to the energy saving target, and the outcome is bleak.
25% energy savings would cost an additional 2 billion Euros, according to the Commission, money many nations cannot spare in the current economic climate. By the 2030 target, the additional costs of a 40% energy saving would apparently rise to 112 billion per year.
With these numbers in mind, the viable, realistic option would be to lower the goals, but opponents are resolute that not only should the goals be pursued, they should be raised.
"If you factor in GDP, employment, energy security, there's no hesitation at all - the EU must go for higher ambition," was the opinion of Brook Riley, climate and energy campaigner at Friends of the Earth. How sensible such an option is remains to be seen, yet it seems that the conflict that seems so isolated in the corner of Europe has already began to show the knock-on effect.
