Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2005-06-07-Speech-2-280"
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"en.20050607.26.2-280"2
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The EU leads the world in the fight against climate change. It has taken a leading role in the implementation of the Kyoto agreement and is equally instrumental in addressing the global debate on post-2012. However, it must be stressed that the EU cannot solve the world’s energy and climate problems alone, a fact recognised in the conclusions of the Council of 22-23 March, also referred to by the honourable Member, which set out the objectives for all the developed countries and not just the EU.
The potential for job creation in the renewable energy sector must be fully exploited, not only through increased research and development, but also through the adoption of policy measures at European and national levels, to facilitate their penetration into the market. Currently more than 100 000 jobs have been created in Europe in the wind and solar photovoltaic sectors alone. This is a good illustration of the growth potential that can be harnessed through the combination of Community research effort and policy measures, such as feed-in tariff schemes and green certificates. The Commission will therefore continue to provide a substantial level of support to the research and deployment efforts of renewable based energy systems. It fully expects that they will secure a larger share of the energy mix through the resulting improved technological solutions.
The objective of reducing greenhouse emissions must be set in the context of sharply increasing global energy demand, which is predicted to rise by 60% by 2030, and increasing concerns over energy dependency in the geopolitically unstable regions of the world.
European energy research thus has to face the threefold challenge of ensuring security of energy supply over the short, medium and long term, enhancing competitiveness and winning the battle against climate change. No single technology can provide the solution; a broad technology portfolio approach is required, embracing actions with a relatively short term perspective and others with a much longer term view.
To achieve the goal of a more sustainable energy system, energy research has to strike a balance between increasing the efficiency, affordability, acceptability and security of existing technologies and sources of energy, whilst simultaneously aiming at a longer-term paradigm shift in the way Europe generates and consumes energy. In this equation, nuclear technologies will continue to play a role, along with the increased uptake of renewable energy sources and other clean energy technologies such as hydrogen and fuel cells and CO2 capture and storage.
Nuclear fusion currently contributes 16% of the EU's energy supply and is, along with renewables, a major source of carbon-free electricity. Moreover, key objectives of the Community research programme on fusion concern the safe management of nuclear waste, the operational safety of nuclear installations and radiation protection, which covers a wider field than energy, such as medical uses.
Fusion has the potential to make a major contribution to the realisation of the sustainable and secure energy supply for the EU within a few decades. Recent technical studies suggest that an adequately funded fast-track fusion development programme, including ITER, could lead to the operation, within thirty years, of a demonstration fusion power plant through which the commercial viability of fusion energy could be established.
In view of the scale and technical challenge of this technology, it can only be pursued at Community level, and indeed, for a major initiative such as ITER, at global level. It is recalled that in the conclusions of the March meeting, the European Council also invited the Commission to forge ahead with ITER, to start its construction before the end of 2005. However, it is clear that the Commission's proposal for the Seventh Framework Programme also puts strong emphasis on non-nuclear energy in general, with a significantly increased the budget compared to the Sixth Framework Programme and an emphasis on renewable energy sources in particular.
Generally, the share of Euratom in the total Framework Programme drops from 7.5 % in the Sixth Framework Programme to 5.9% in the Seventh Framework Programme. The renewables are recognised as being key technologies for Europe in that they are indigenous sources of energy and can be adapted to different regional conditions.
Renewable energy sources for electricity generation, fuel production and for heating and cooling are all given a high profile in the Commission's proposal for the Seventh Framework Programme, within the broader portfolio approach mentioned earlier. As a comparison, the overall level of funding for non-nuclear research is more than four times as much as for fusion."@en1
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