The European Commission is urging its members to sign onto a common energy policy and to slash greenhouse gas emissions by 20 per cent by 2020.
An excerpt from the BBC story:
Commission chief Jose Manuel Barroso said it was time for a "post-industrial revolution" which would see Europe slash greenhouse gases by 20% by 2020.
But political as well as environmental concerns should spur change, he noted.
EU vulnerability as an oil importer was thrown into sharp relief this week when Russia's row with Belarus hit supplies.
Binding targets
This is the first step towards a common energy policy, says the BBC's Europe editor Mark Mardell.
There are three central pillars to the proposed integrated EU energy policy.
- A true internal energy market
- Accelerating the shift to low-carbon energy
- And energy efficiency through the 20% target by 2020
In addition to the 20% of all EU energy that should come from renewable power by 2020, 10% of vehicle fuel should come from biofuels, said EU energy chief Andris Piebalgs.
The EU wants to make these targets binding for the first time, he said.
It also wants to make sure all new power stations are carbon neutral in 13 years - they should be built in such a way that carbon can be captured and buried - as well as ensuring there is a big increase in renewable power like wind and wave energy.
