No hard feelings: France still invited to EU’s ‘renewables friendly’ group

France’s exclusion from a meeting of pro-renewable countries organised by Austria on Monday (19 June) “does not set a precedent” as Paris will be invited to the next meetings, a European diplomat close to the file told EURACTIV.

Read the original French story here.

Ahead of Monday’s (19 June) Energy Council, 14 EU energy ministers met separately as part of the ‘Friends of Renewables’ alliance – a group set up at the end of March by Austrian Energy Minister Leonore Gewessler in response to the French-led nuclear alliance created in February.

According to Gewessler, the pro-nuclear group was working against the EU’s interests, and Vienna sought to restore some balance by launching a rival group dedicated to the promotion of renewable energies.

Pannier-Runacher was initially not invited to the renewables-friendly group. She later asked to join it, arguing that renewables make up 19.3% of France’s energy mix – more than the 19.2% share of Germany, which was invited.

Subsequently, Gewessler invited Pannier-Runacher to join the group, as confirmed in a letter from Gewessler to her French counterpart dated 9 May and obtained by EURACTIV France: “I cordially invite you to the next meeting of the ‘Friends of Renewable Energies’,” the missive reads.

However, things changed on 17 May.

Determined to defend its nuclear industry, France pushed for the postponement of a technical meeting on the Renewable Energy Directive (RED), asking for additional “guarantees” concerning hydrogen from nuclear power.

The move from Paris angered supporters of renewables because it delayed the final adoption of the directive, on which a political agreement had been reached on 30 March after a long night of negotiations with the European Parliament.

In response, France was barred from Monday’s meeting of the ‘Friends of Renewables’ group.

France barred from 'Friends of Renewables' EU ministerial meeting

France was not invited to a meeting of pro-renewables countries on Monday (19 June) after Paris delayed the adoption of the EU’s renewable energy directive, an EU diplomat told EURACTIV.

‘Like-minded people’

“This group is a loose like-minded group with no standing invitation policy,” explained a Brussels diplomat familiar with the matter when asked by EURACTIV about the reasons for excluding the French.

“Originally we wanted to coordinate on the Renewable Energy Directive. This time France, was not invited,” the diplomat confirmed.

This is a tougher line than the letter of 9 May, in which Gewessler acknowledged France’s commitment to the development of renewables.

“I fully agree with you that […] the production of renewable energy is a crucial element of a future sustainable European energy strategy,” reads Gewessler’s letter to Pannier-Runacher.

“I am confident that we will find a way to tackle future challenges and accelerate the roll-out of renewable energy technologies together, despite our different views on nuclear power,” the Austrian minister added.

‘No precedent’

Pannier-Runacher’s office declined to comment on the reasons behind the minister’s exclusion from the renewables-friendly meeting.

However, since the final approval of the Renewable Energy Directive last Friday, the French energy transition minister has vigorously defended France’s track record when it comes to renewables.

On the eve of Monday’s Energy Council, she wrote a scathing response on Twitter to Sven Giegold, the German climate state secretary, noting that “in 2022, France produced more renewable energy than Germany for its final consumption, with 20.7% compared to 20.4%”.

Pannier-Runacher’s comments came in response to earlier remarks by Giegold that the recent approval of the renewables directive would enable France to invest massively in renewable energies “just as consistently as we are now successfully doing in Germany”.

These tensions have now eased however, with sources confirming that France remains in the pro-renewables club.

France’s exclusion from Monday’s meeting “does not create a precedent for future invitations,” said the European diplomat close to the file.

[Edited by Frédéric Simon/Nathalie Weatherald]

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