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Resolution 1977 (2014) Final version
Energy diversification as a fundamental contribution to sustainable development
1. Clean, secure and affordable energy
is central to sustainable development and quality of life. It is
part of a society’s broader ambition to embrace a more balanced
development model that better respects our planet’s capacity and
resources. In the light of their commitments under the Rio+20 Conference
on Sustainable Development and the Kyoto Protocol to the United
Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, European countries
face a wealth of opportunities, but also challenges, in the transition
to a more sustainable energy future.
2. To preserve and enhance national prosperity in a global context,
public authorities, businesses and consumers in Europe must unite
their efforts towards optimising energy production, delivery and
use. Although a single European vision for a clean energy future
remains elusive, the Parliamentary Assembly notes a growing political
consensus on the need to cut energy-related greenhouse gas emissions,
pollution and various risks, while enhancing competitiveness and
making better use of existing resources.
3. The Assembly therefore strongly supports the European Union
goals for climate and energy that aim, by 2020, to cut greenhouse
gas emissions by 20% below the 1990 level, to cover 20% of energy
needs from renewable sources and to shrink energy consumption by
20%. It believes that the non-European Union States should adopt
similar or more ambitious targets when shaping their national energy
choices.
4. Moreover, the Assembly is convinced that European society
must decouple its energy consumption from economic and demographic
growth and should moderate its energy needs by investing in energy
efficiency and savings. This need is particularly pressing for heating,
cooling, mobility and transportation in both industry and households,
where the diversification of energy sources, technologies and consumption
patterns can lead to huge efficiency gains and can create jobs.
5. The Assembly welcomes a growing emphasis on the use of the
cleanest energy sources across all of Europe. Provided that they
are produced in a sustainable manner, natural gas and renewable
energy sources take on a strategic dimension in this respect. However,
tapping the full potential of clean energy requires strong political
leadership to secure adequate investment, regional co-ordination
of networks and a more integrated European energy market.
6. The Assembly notes a wide variety of national positions and
public anxiety across Europe regarding the exploration and exploitation
of unconventional fossil fuels, in particular shale gas and oil.
It shares the concern about the environmental, public health and
seismic risks inherent in the use of hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking”, technology.
Robust precautions are necessary to protect surface and underground
water resources, as well as air quality and the landscape. Cleaner
technologies therefore need to be developed for the commercial exploitation
of shale gas and oil.
7. The advantages and disadvantages of nuclear energy continue
to polarise the opinions of policy makers in Europe. While nuclear
energy is perceived by many as clean and affordable, it worries
others because of safety and long-term waste disposal challenges.
The Assembly considers that nuclear energy will remain part of Europe’s
energy landscape for reasons of security of supply, competitiveness,
low carbon emissions and a global growth potential, but requires
stricter safety risk policies and long-term solutions for nuclear
waste management.
8. The Assembly is deeply concerned about the problem of energy
poverty: at least 1.5 billion people worldwide have no access to
electricity and up to 32% of the population of some European countries
face more or less severe energy deprivation. In this context, the
Assembly emphasises the responsibility of governments to employ
targeted assistance to help the poorest countries move to a more
dynamic, but also more sustainable, development model and to protect
the most vulnerable populations.
9. In the light of the above considerations, the Assembly recommends
that the Council of Europe member States:
9.1. as regards regional, pan-European and international co-operation
in favour of sustainable energy:
9.1.1. strengthen the European
Union Emissions Trading System and seek its expansion to non-European
Union countries;
9.1.2. improve market and regulatory frameworks for cross-border
clean energy investment (in both networks and technologies) and
nuclear safety;
9.1.3. foster the consolidation of regional energy markets and
fair competition among all energy market players;
9.1.4. develop cross-border electricity transmission, interconnection
and storage capacities, including the development of the Mediterranean
solar plan;
9.1.5. work towards the gradual de-indexing of natural gas prices
from oil prices for supply contracts so as to take advantage of
lower prices in the international market;
9.1.6. exploit options for pooling means of national energy production
(covering infrastructure, imports, back-up capacity and supply-demand
management) and enhancing the co-ordination of transmission networks
on a regional basis so as to better tap the potential of the European market;
9.1.7. adequately inform, consult and involve citizens in the
preparation of clean energy projects;
9.1.8. promote the exchange of best practice in the field of
energy technologies, research, legislation and regulation;
9.2. concerning national and European macroeconomic policies
for underpinning transition to a more sustainable energy future:
9.2.1. seek structural changes that promote balanced economic,
environmental and social development with less energy from fossil
fuels;
9.2.2. give priority to better exploiting the most abundant,
clean, cost-efficient and locally present energy sources, in particular
renewables such as biomass;
9.2.3. foster investment in enhancing energy efficiency throughout
different sectors, notably buildings, transport and industry, including
by tightening emissions standards and certification requirements;
9.2.4. use the transition to cleaner and more efficient energy
to create or preserve jobs;
9.2.5. set up coherent and specific legislative frameworks, fiscal
incentives and pricing signals to encourage investment in clean
energy;
9.2.6. discourage wasteful and polluting energy consumption through
carbon or environmental taxes and provide targeted support to the
most vulnerable consumers;
9.2.7. rationalise and phase out inefficient subsidies to fossil
fuels over the medium term and consider temporary financial support
for the shift to the cleanest technologies, the modernisation of
energy infrastructure and efforts to reduce energy intensity;
9.2.8. apply the highest environmental, legal and technological
standards and introduce strong measures to protect public health
and the environment in any cases of exploration or exploitation of
unconventional fossil fuels (in particular shale gas and oil) and
step up research on cleaner alternatives to fracking;
9.2.9. continue the integration of local electricity and heat
markets;
9.2.10. actively support the deployment of smart grids, waste-to-energy
technologies and fuel storage facilities, as well as the use of
solar, wind and biomass energy sources, clean coal and carbon storage
technologies, and innovative developments such as service networks
for alternative vehicles;
9.2.11. continue to diversify energy supply routes, sources and
suppliers so as to reduce dependence on imports and minimise supply
disruptions and costs.