MEP Bas Eickhout slams the EU's new energy and climate package as a mediocre shadow of the bold ambition needed to fight climate change.

Disappointment on Europe's feeble energy ambition

We have just seen the Commissioner  adopt a new energy package, Horizon 2030.

What are the main changes concerning  energy and climate change for the future?

I think it is a very disappointing proposal.

In a way it is a step backwards  on climate policies,

Europe is very clearly here  taking a step backwards.

What you can see   is firstly the climate target for 2030:

it is minus 40%, so we have to reduce  our greenhouse emissions by 40%.

This is what you asked for,  so this is OK?

No, we want to have a more,  if you look at the longer-term target

So we are only halfway there in 2030,  after 2030 there are only 20 years to go.

So what the EU is doing in a way  is postponing all efforts until after 2030.

So already, this is  a not very ambitious proposal.

We maybe knew it,  but it is still disappointing.

Then renewables,  do we have compulsory targets?

I think on renewables  it's even more disappointing.

What the Commission is now proposing  is an EU-level target of 27%, which...

No, it's business as usual,  we are already at 20% in 2020

But more problematically,  there is no target for the national level.

So we have no idea how the EU  will get to that 27%.

The Commission's proposal  is totally vague on this.

It's really a step backwards, clearly it's  a signal to the UK to say OK, we'll back off.

So the UK has won  and certainly not the climate.

But for this, you the Green party  will have a strong ally in Germany

because they are the leaders  in renewables in Europe

and they are pushing  to increase this national target.

Do you think there is still a place  for discussion on this?

Clearly, if you look at  the Energiewende in Germany,

they also need an ambitious Europe  on renewables.

That's certainly not in the proposal now  so I do hope that Germany,

when they meet in March,  when the Heads of state meet

that Mrs Merkel will be very critical  about this proposal.

Otherwise, we will certainly  fail on renewables.

The third target in the first energy package

was efficiency, energy efficiency,  what is the target today?

Well, none.  There is nothing on efficiency:

the cheapest option,  there's nothing on efficiency, it disappeared.

The Commission is saying  there'll be a review later on

But dropping out the most  efficient measure, being using less energy,

Another strong element of the first package  was what we call ETS:

the Emissions Trading System,  the stock exchange for carbon.

Will it exist?  -Yes the ETS will still exist

and the Commission is proposing  one more structural reform

which is that after 2020  they will make a kind of reserve fund

so if there is a surplus of allowances,  that will go into a fund.

Well, the proposal is nice maybe,  but it's not solving the issue.

We have a huge surplus,  of more than 2 billion of allowances,

and the only thing being done  is creating something after 2020

and then if there is this surplus,  it will go into a fund

but it can always go back  so the markets will, from the start,

have long-term insecurity  and that surplus will be there until 2030.

So the low-carbon prices that we see now,  combined with this non-ambitious target

on greenhouse gas reduction,  with those two together,

I can project carbon prices  will remain very low until 2030.

There will now be  an internal European discussion:

The European Council in March, then all  the legislation in the EP, Council,

then the problem is the global situation

and the other partners who even propose  less than what Europe is proposing.

Internationally, we've promised to make  our first pledges in the first quarter of 2015

towards Paris -  if this is going to be the European proposal,

I think the US can top that, they can  go beyond what the EU is doing now.

So in that sense the EU  is really losing its position internationally.

It's position as a leader  - Well our position as a leader

was already being contested a bit  by other countries

Like China?  - Yes, China, Mexico, these countries.

But if we continue like this, then we will be  a laughing stock internationally.

And I think what's more important  is that now in March the Heads of state

This is just a proposal of the Commission  and Barroso fails here.

So I really do plead now  to the Heads of state in March:

please make this a more solid  and ambitious programme,

otherwise, internationally,  the EU will be a laughing stock.

Bas, thank you very much  -You're welcome.