The ‘Bringing Europe and Third Countries Closer Together through Renewable Energies' (BETTER) project, co-funded by the EU's Intelligent Energy Europe Programme, organized an EU stakeholder workshop to discuss research outcomes, potential cooperation mechanisms, and policy conclusions, action plans and a roadmap beyond 2020.
9 October 2014: The ‘Bringing Europe and Third Countries Closer Together through Renewable Energies’ (BETTER) project, co-funded by the EU’s Intelligent Energy Europe Programme, organized an EU stakeholder workshop to discuss research outcomes, potential cooperation mechanisms, policy conclusions, action plans and a roadmap beyond 2020.
The BETTER consortium, formed by research institutions from eight EU Member States and the UN Development Programme (UNDP), was launched in 2012, and aims to enhance cooperation in renewable energy between the EU and third countries, in particular through mechanisms provided by the EU Renewable Energy Directive 2009/28/EC, which allows Member States to fulfill their 2020 renewable energy targets by implementing joint projects in third countries.
The ‘BETTER European Stakeholder Workshop,’ held on 8 October in Paris, France, attracted participants representing governments of EU Member States and third countries, international organizations, investors and the private sector, civil society and the academia.
The event sought to: present and discuss results from case studies on Western Balkans, Turkey and North Africa; assess the potential and prospects of cooperation mechanisms in helping the EU achieve its renewable energy targets in 2020 and beyond; draw policy conclusions and region-specific action plans; and discuss priorities and a roadmap for post-2020.
In addition to the case studies, presentations were given on, inter alia: cooperation between Member States; financing projects in the Mediterranean; and Italian experiences with cooperation mechanisms.
On a roadmap for post-2020, Ayla Uslu and Karina Veum, Energy Research Centre of the Netherlands (ECN), emphasized, among other barriers: uncertainty on the role of cooperation mechanisms post-2020; lack of clarity on penalties for possible non-compliance of 2020 targets; a condition of physical import of electricity; and issues with public acceptance. They called for a clear 2020-2030 climate and energy framework for the EU, and earmarking part of the 2030 target to cooperation mechanisms.
The presentations made during the workshop are available for download on the event webpage. [BETTER Workshop Webpage] [BETTER Website] [Intelligent Energy Europe Website]