Brussels praises the Spanish plan to combat climate change

The draft of the national energy and climate plan for the period 2021-2030, which Spain sent last February to the European Commission, is on the right track and is one of the most ambitious in the EU, according to the notes from Brussels, although the Government of Pedro Sánchez will have to specify, clarify and further detail the measures it plans to implement to meet the objectives it has set in the fight against climate change. Like the rest of the member states, the Spanish authorities have until the end of the year to send a final version of the plan and respond to the recommendations.

After knowing the result of the evaluation, sources from the Ministry for the Ecological Transition, described it as “very positive”. “The Commission’s recommendations do not require a change in anything quantitative, they imply in some cases improvements in detail and in others the extension of the development of some measures that will serve to establish the objectives of the plan,” they added.

This is the first time that European governments have sent integrated projects to comply with the Paris climate agreement and achieve the promised objectives: a 40% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, raising the weight of renewable energies to 32%, guaranteeing energy efficiency of 32.5% and a percentage of energy interconnections of 15%.

The overall balance sheet leaves a somewhat bittersweet taste at European level. According to Brussels, the planned contributions “are insufficient” in terms of both renewables and energy efficiency and governments will have to respond with “a greater degree of collective ambition” by the end of the year if they want to reach the target set. For example, in the field of renewables, and with the current plans, the 28 will only reach a range of between 30.4% and 31.9%, slightly below the 32% agreed, and this gap will be even greater in the case of energy efficiency.

However, not all countries receive a wake-up call from Brussels. The report commends “the ambitious contributions” made by Denmark, Estonia, Lithuania, Portugal and Spain on renewables and those of Italy, Luxembourg, Spain, France and the Netherlands on energy savings. The Spanish plan, for example, aims to raise the percentage of renewable primary energy to 42% by 2030 and reduce energy consumption by 39.6%. In addition, Brussels also describes as “ambitious” the Spanish goal of reducing energy dependence from 74% to 59%.

Brussels urges the ministry headed by Teresa Ribera to send more information before the end of the year on the policies and measures that the Government intends to apply to achieve these objectives. The least positive aspect of the Spanish document is the one that refers to electricity interconnections, a key element to integrate the Iberian Peninsula into the energy union.

Source: El Periódico de Aragón