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Financing the energy transition: Incentives to bring all regions on board

03-12-2019

Financing the energy transition: Incentives to bring all regions on board

In a speech delivered in the European Parliament a few hours before her election, new Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said she intends to make climate and the environment top priorities in all EU policy areas. She pledged to strengthen the EU’s short-term goal on greenhouse-gas emissions from a 40% reduction by 2030 to at least a 50% cut, relative to 1990 levels. Von der Leyen is also set to announce a ‘Green Deal for Europe’ in her first 100 days in office, which would include a law to make Europe carbon neutral by 2050. “I want Europe to become the first climate-neutral continent in the world,” she said.
 
But von der Leyen’s ambitious climate proposals were met with caution from some corners. The energy sector, key to the European economy, wants a ‘just transition’, implying significant investment to help Europe’s regions more reliant on non-renewable sources to share her vision and be an active part of the solution.
 
To meet the objectives of the Energy Union and support the transition to a clean energy system, funding will be needed to finance structural changes to ensure security of supply, due to lack of capacity and funding restraints.
 
Von der Leyen has pledged to unlock €1 trillion over the next decade for climate investment, and to turn parts of the European Investment Bank into a dedicated climate bank, which would channel private investment to climate and clean-energy projects “in every corner of the EU”. In addition the European Commission’s proposed Multiannual Financial Framework for 2021-2027, would raise funding for climate change efforts to 25 percent of the total budget, from 20 percent over 2014-2020. At the same time, the EU institutions are negotiating the Sustainable Finance framework for future investments in the power sector. Industry is pressing for funding for the regions, companies and workers affected. Whilst industry supports a just energy transition, it does not wish to carry the financial burden on its own.

EURACTIV invites you to this Forum to discuss:

- How to ensure that finances are directed to the most impacted regions?
- What is best practice for using funds smartly?
- How to make sure that no EU region is left behind in the energy transition?
- What role for low-emission technologies in the transition?

Supported by:

Location

Euractiv Network Office
Boulevard Charlemagne 1, 1041 Brussels

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Panellists

Marc Lemaître, Director-General for Regional and Urban Policy, European Commission
Jerzy Buzek MEP, ITRE Committee, European Parliament
Norbert Schultes, Head of the Economic Affairs and Energy Department, Permanent Representation of Germany to the EU
Malgosia Bartosik, Deputy CEO, Wind Europe
Emil Wojtowicz, Vice-President for Finance, PGE - Polska Grupa Energetyczna
Luc Triangle, General Secretary, Industriall Europe

Moderator

Frederic Simon, Energy Editor, EURACTIV

Schedule

12:00 – 12:30 Registration & Light Lunch
12:30 – 13:00 Opening statements
13:00 – 14:00 Discussion and Q&A

Contact

Simona Ovesea
simona.ovesea@euractiv.com
+32 (0)2 788 36 86

Related article

Worries over ‘fresh money’ as EU cooks up energy transition fund

Worries over ‘fresh money’ as EU cooks up energy transition fund

Eastern EU countries, backed by trade unions, are putting pressure on EU leaders to come up with “fresh money” to support the energy transition in coal-dependent regions as part of a Green Deal due to be unveiled this week.

The post Worries over ‘fresh money’ as EU cooks up energy transition fund appeared first on Euractiv.

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