These are all affected by, and themselves affect, the framework for the exploitation of renewable energy in Europe, and at the time of publication of this document the European Commission will also be releasing key proposals in this regard. So EUREC comments on this framework, too.
The publication starts with a look at the big picture. We set out our view on the path that the EU’s energy system should follow. We also comment on reform of the electricity market – a hot topic, with legislative proposals expected from the Commission soon.
We offer our view on the meaning of some much-heard catchphrases, then we drill down into the nitty gritty of the SET Plan. The Commission’s reforms of Q4 2015, introduced in the Communication Towards an Integrated SET Plan are incomplete. The interaction between stakeholder groups and the Commission and Member States needs to be rethought both when small groups are involved and when actors in energy come together in large gatherings.
We look closely at ERANET-COFUND, a funding instrument that is at present the most common way for Member States to demonstrate their commitment to the SET Plan. European Structural and Investment Funds could and should provide better support to demonstrations of innovative energy technology. We think we’ve identified an important obstacle to that happening. Finally, the suggested European Innovation Council could be a new tool for stimulating applied research in energy.
The document is to be read alongside position papers that we produced in 2015 and 2016 available on our website (here), which contain further recommendations on these topics.