France in talks with EU Commission to avoid renewable energy fines

Paris is in talks with the European Commission to avoid penalties for having missed its 2020 objective under the EU’s renewable energy directive and failing to make up for the shortfall.

Read the original French article here.

In a report published on 26 June, the European Court of Auditors (ECA) pointed out that France was the only EU country still in breach of its 2020 target on renewables.

Under the EU’s Renewable Energy Directive, France committed to meet 23% of its energy consumption with renewables by 2020, but government figures show it only managed to reach 20.7%.

Five other member states – Luxembourg, Slovenia, Ireland, the Netherlands and Belgium – were in the same situation and used “flexibilities” provided under the EU legislation to achieve their targets.

These “flexibilities” include the possibility of buying “statistical megawatts” from other EU countries that over-achieved their targets or the implementation of joint renewable energy projects.

But France did not, making it the only EU country not to have compensated for the shortfall.

“By April 2023, France had not bought the needed renewable energy share to meet its 2020 target,” Joëlle Elvinger, a member of the European Court of Auditors, said when presenting the report on 26 June.

“We asked the Commission if in the meantime they bought their shares, and we didn’t get a clear reply. So it’s a question that should be addressed to France directly,” Elvinger added.

Talks with Brussels

As of Tuesday (4 July), “France did not formally communicate to the Commission measures that it has taken to fulfil its obligations to achieve the 2020 target,” the EU executive told EURACTIV in an emailed statement.

Because the 2020 target is legally binding, France is therefore in breach of its EU obligations.

In Paris, officials are weighing their options. Back in November, Pannier-Runacher announced that France was negotiating with Italy and Sweden to purchase “statistical megawatts” worth around €500 million.

If it fails to purchase these “statistical megawatts”, Paris could in theory be fined.

But Brussels is holding off on a potential infringement procedure, saying “the Commission is engaged in a dialogue with France on this matter”.

The EU executive “reminded France of the importance to comply with its legal obligations and to take appropriate steps without further delay,” a Commission spokesperson told EURACTIV.

However, it did not elaborate on the timeline and declined to give any more details on the method that would be used to calculate a potential fine.

“In general, there is no legal deadline for the Commission to initiate an infringement procedure against a member state,” the spokesperson said.

Europe risks missing 2030 climate goal, EU auditors warn

EU countries have so far filed only vague plans to meet their climate targets, with early indications pointing to a significant financing gap to meet the EU’s objective of reducing emissions 55% below 1990 levels by 2030, the European Court of Auditors (ECA) said in a new report on Monday (26 June).

French efforts taken into account 

In Paris, officials say efforts are underway to ensure France meets its objectives, drawing attention to the Renewable Energy Acceleration Act that was adopted by the French Parliament in November.

“In our discussions, the European Commission is taking into account the efforts France is currently making,” said the office of energy minister Pannier-Runacher.

The minister’s office also draws attention to the fact that France is “ahead of Germany” on renewables, “with growth of 46% between 2012 and 2021, compared with 42%” across the Rhine.

In addition, French President Emmanuel Macron is expected to announce an increase in the country’s renewable energy target on Wednesday (5 July), reflecting France’s increased ambition on offshore wind power, for which the prime minister’s office envisages a 45 GW target of installed capacity by 2050, up from 40 GW previously.

Onshore wind power targets are also expected to be raised even though no figures have been announced publicly yet.

Renewable energies ‘only a means, not an end’

Pannier-Runacher’s office was also keen to emphasise that the chief objective is not renewables but decarbonisation, saying the Commission “does not apply the rules in a stupid and nasty way”.

“We must not confuse the end with the means. Renewable energies are only a means of achieving the EU’s decarbonisation objectives,” the minister’s office said in reference to the bloc’s 2030 objective of reducing emissions by 55% compared to 1990 levels.

In 2022, 62.7% of France’s electricity came from nuclear energy, with another 23.8% coming from renewables.

The ministry also pointed to a European Commission declaration adopted during the negotiations on the updated Renewable Energy Directive, which recognised the contribution of nuclear power to the EU’s decarbonisation objectives.

“With its written declaration, the European Commission is making a commitment as an institution,” Pannier-Runacher’s office said.

This declaration “will influence the future European Commission” that will be appointed after the EU elections next year, the minister’s office affirmed.

France finally satisfied with EU deal on renewables directive

The EU-27 reached a compromise on Friday (16 June) which satisfies French interests on nuclear power, without the need to reopen negotiations on the Renewable Energy Directive.

[Edited by Frédéric Simon/Nathalie Weatherald]

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