11 Amendments of Jessica POLFJÄRD related to 2022/0160(COD)
Amendment 2 #
Proposal for a directive
Recital 1
Recital 1
(1) In the context of the European Green Deal16 , Regulation (EU) 2021/1119 of the European Parliament and of the Council17 established the objective of the Union becoming climate neutral in 2050, as well as the target of a 55% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. This requires an energy transition and significantly higher shares of renewable and fossil free energy sources in an integrated energy system. __________________ 16 Communication from the Commission COM/2019/640 final, The European Green Deal. 17 Regulation (EU) 2021/1119 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 30 June 2021 establishing the framework for achieving climate neutrality and amending Regulations (EC) No 401/2009 and (EU) 2018/1999 (‘European Climate Law’), OJ L 243, 9.7.2021, p. 1).
Amendment 4 #
Proposal for a directive
Recital 2
Recital 2
(2) Renewable and fossil free energy plays a fundamental role in delivering on these objectives, given that the energy sector contributes today over 75% of total greenhouse gas emissions in the Union. By reducing those greenhouse gas emissions, renewable and fossil free energy also contributes to tackling environmental- related challenges such as biodiversity loss and to reducing pollution in line with the objectives of the Zero-Pollution Action Plan.
Amendment 5 #
Proposal for a directive
Recital 3 a (new)
Recital 3 a (new)
(3a) The Union's twin green and digital transition requires access to raw materials and minerals. In order to enable the transition, strengthen the Union's competitiveness and reduce dependencies on third countries with lower social and environmental standards, the Union should therefore step up its efforts to produce strategic raw materials.
Amendment 9 #
Proposal for a directive
Recital 7
Recital 7
(7) Some of the most common issues faced by renewable energy project developers relate to procedures established at national or regional level to assess the environmental impact of the proposed projects. Therefore, it is appropriate to streamlinefurther develop and improve the coordination and cooperation with regional and national decision-making bodies on certain environmental-related aspects of the permit-granting procedures and processes for renewable energy projects.
Amendment 22 #
Proposal for a directive
Recital 13
Recital 13
(13) The designation of renewables go- to areas should aim to ensure that renewable energy production from these areas, together with existing renewable energy plants, future renewable energy plants outside of such areas and cooperation mechanisms, will be sufficient to achieve Member States’ contribution to the Union renewable energy target set out in Article 3(1) of Directive (EU) 2018/2001 as well as to ensure security of supply according to the Energy Union Strategy.
Amendment 23 #
Proposal for a directive
Recital 13
Recital 13
(13) The designation of renewables go- to areas should aim to ensure that renewable energy production from these areas, together with existing renewable energy plants, future renewable and fossil free energy plants outside of such areas and cooperation mechanisms, will be sufficient to achieve Member States’ contribution to the Union renewable energy target set out in Article 3(1) of Directive (EU) 2018/2001.
Amendment 34 #
Proposal for a directive
Recital 18
Recital 18
(18) The construction and operation of renewable energy plants may result in the occasional killing or disturbance of birds and other protected species under Directive 92/43/EEC or Directive 2009/147/EC26 . However, such killing or disturbance would not be considered deliberate in the sense of these Directives if a project has adopted, during its construction and operation, appropriate mitigation measures to avoid collisions or prevent disturbance, and if it carries out a proper monitoring to assess the effectiveness of such measures and, in the light of the information gathered, takes further measures as required to ensure no significant negative impact on the population of the species concerned. __________________ 26 Directive 2009/147/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 30 November 2009 on the conservation of wild birds (OJ L 20, 26.1.2010, p.7).
Amendment 36 #
Proposal for a directive
Recital 19
Recital 19
(19) In addition to installing new renewable and fossil free energy plants, repowering existing renewable energy plants has a significant potential to contribute to the achievement of the renewable energy targets as well as the Union's commitment to net zero emissions by 2050 at the latest. Since, usually, the existing renewable energy plants have been installed in sites with significant renewable energy resource potential, repowering can ensure the continued use of these sites while reducing the need to designate new sites for renewable energy projects. Repowering includes further benefits such as the existing grid connection, a likely higher degree of public acceptance and knowledge of environmental impacts. The repowering of renewable energy projects entails changes to or the extension of existing projects to different degrees. The permit- granting process, including environmental assessments and screening, for the repowering of renewable and fossil free energy projects should be limited to the potential impacts resulting from the change or extension compared to the original project.
Amendment 45 #
Proposal for a directive
Recital 22
Recital 22
(22) Renewable and fossil free energy sources are crucial to fight climate change, reduce energy prices, decrease the Union’s dependence on fossil fuels and ensure the Union’s security of supply. For the purposes of the relevant Union environmental legislation, in the necessary case-by-case assessments to ascertain whether a plant for the production of energy from renewablfossil free sources, its connection to the grid, the related grid itself or storage assets is of overriding public interest in a particular case, Member States should presume these plants and their related infrastructure as being of overriding public interest and serving public health and safety, except where there is clear evidence that these projects have major adverse effects on the environment which cannot be mitigated or compensated. Considering such plants as being of overriding public interest and serving public health and safety would allow such projects to benefit from a simplified assessment.
Amendment 46 #
Proposal for a directive
Recital 25
Recital 25
(25) There is an urgent need to reduce the dependence on fossil fuels in buildings and to accelerate efforts to decarbonise and electrify their energy consumption. In order to enable the cost-effective installation of solar technologies at a later stage, all new buildings, in areas where solar energy is an effective option, should be “solar ready”, that is, designed to optimise the solar generation potential on the basis of the site’s solar irradiance, enabling the fruitful installation of solar technologies without costly structural interventions. In addition, Member States should ensure the deployment of suitable solar installations on new buildings, both residential and non- residential, and on existing non-residential buildings. Large scale deployment of solar energy on buildings would make a major contribution to shielding more effectively consumers from increasing and volatile prices of fossil fuels, reduce the exposure of vulnerable citizens to high energy costs and result in wider environmental, economic and social benefits. In order to efficiently exploit the potential of solar installations on buildings, Member States should define criteria for the implementation of, and possible exemptions from, the deployment of solar installations on buildings in line with the assessed technical and economic potential of the solar energy installations and the characteristics of the buildings covered by this obligation.
Amendment 48 #
Proposal for a directive
Recital 25 a (new)
Recital 25 a (new)
(25 a) In order to ensure that the Union's policies aimed at promoting solar energy are implemented with minimal negative social and environmental effects, they should be coupled with policies aimed at promoting further sustainable production of necessary raw materials within the Union.