All EU members in SEE on track to meet renewable energy targets - EC

All four EU members in Southeast Europe (SEE) - Bulgaria, Croatia, Romania and Slovenia - are expected to meet their 2020 targets for the share of renewable energy in their overall energy supply, the European Commission (EC) said on Tuesday.

Of the four states Slovenia is the only one which is not expected to exceed its 2020 renewable energy target, according to the latest EC progress report on renewable energy published on Tuesday. Slovenia targets 25% of renewable energy in its overall energy consumption in five years.

"Reaching the 2020 renewable energy targets remains fully possible for the EU as a whole and the majority of the EU member states," the Commission said in the report. "However, as the trajectory in the Renewable Energy Directive becomes steeper closer to 2020, especially for those member states that are already progressing slowly, and regulatory uncertainty and administrative
barriers continue to impact private investments in the sector, additional measures might be needed for a number of member states."

The majority of member states are nevertheless expected to meet or exceed their 2020 renewable energy targets based on an assessment of current and planned policies, it added.

In 2014, the projected share of renewable energy in the gross final energy consumption in the bloc is 15.3%, it added.

The EU's 2020 renewables target has resulted in around 326 million tonnes of avoided CO2 emissions in 2012, rising to 388 million tonnes in 2013, the EC also said. It has also led to a reduction in the EU's demand for fossil fuels to the tune of 116 million tonnes of oil equivalent, boosting the EU's security of energy supply.

More details of renewable energy targets in different countries follows (%):