Lobby watchdog Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO) says it has obtained recent meeting documents from the European Commission (EC) that reveal that major fossil fuel companies are influencing the EU’s response to the energy crisis.

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The proposals are expected to be published on 18 May as part of EU plans to reduce dependence on Russian energy following the invasion of Ukraine.

Speeding up the transition to renewable energy will reduce emissions and Europe’s dependency on energy imports as well as provide affordable energy prices to EU citizens and businesses, according to the draft obtained by EURACTIV.

Given the pressing need to accelerate the deployment of renewable energy, the EU renewable energy target should be increased, it continues. The new target is not decided yet, with the new percentage showing as “XX” between squared brackets in the proposal, which would amend the EU’s renewable energy directive.

The European Commission last year already proposed raising the EU’s renewable energy target to 40% by 2030, up from 32% currently. The proposal was part of a package of climate legislation tabled in July, which aims to reduce the EU’s greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% before the end of the decade.

But with the war in Ukraine, the Commission is considering ways to accelerate those plans. In March, it called on the European Parliament and EU countries to consider “higher or earlier targets for renewable energy and energy efficiency” as they debate the July package of proposals, dubbed ‘Fit for 55’.

In the European Parliament, there is already strong support for increasing the renewables target to 45% by 2030. And there are also moves among some EU governments to support increased ambition on renewables, although it is less clear whether there is a majority among them to back this.

Pascoe Sabido, Researcher and Campaigner at the Corporate Europe Observatory, said:

“We’re facing a devastating climate emergency and a huge cost-of-living crisis, but rather than set up an energy poverty task force, the Commission is bringing in fossil fuel CEOs and experts who are telling it not to introduce a price cap or intervene in the energy market. The task force should be scrapped. If the Commission wants the industry’s views, then they must set up a public hearing so we can all hear what they have to say, rather than keeping it behind closed doors.

“The European Commission has been in bed with these corporations for decades. IIf we want to end our reliance on gas, Russian or otherwise, then we need to end the relationship between the fossil fuel industry and decision-makers, cutting fossil fuel interests out of our political system. In short we need fossil free politics."

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine exposed the fossil fuel crisis more than ever. In addition to the current level of climate emergency, we are experiencing a paradigm shift on the scale of needed energy transition. The timeframe for enhanced action came closer: immediate actions now must give fruits very quickly to stop Russian gas dependence and achieve 1.5°C-aligned 2030 climate targets.

If adequate measures to implement CAN Europe’s Paris Agreement Compatible (PAC) scenario are taken without delay, the slump in fossil gas demand by 2025 will already equal the total amount of fossil gas imports from Russia to the EU in the year 2021. The EU’s ‘REPowerEU’ communication published in March indicates that full implementation of the ‘Fit for 55’ climate and energy legislative proposals would lower our gas consumption by 30%, by 2030.

The PAC scenario indicates that it is possible to wean off Russian gas in only four years, without additional gas imports from elsewhere with more ambitious action to curb energy demand, ramp up sustainable renewables and roll out flexibility options while still achieving a complete fossil gas phase out in 2035.

Ahead of the European Commission’s publication of its new energy plan in a few weeks, CAN Europe presents three flagship initiatives which the ‘REPowerEU’ should feature to accelerate a secure and just energy transition. These flagship initiatives are guided by CAN Europe’s Paris Agreement Compatible (PAC) scenario. They should be implemented immediately through integrated funding support.

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