To meet the objectives in energy politics will be expensive

The Confederation of Industry of the Czech Republic considers the last week’s European Council decision to reduce the emissions of the greenhouse gases by 40 percent as well as to increase the energy efficiency and the green energy production by 27 percent, all by the year 2030, an ambitious aim.

„The agreed target is very ambitious and demanding on costs not only for the Czech energetics and industry, but also for the whole EU,“ the Confederation’s vice-president Jan Rafaj said.

In the opinion of the Confederation of Industry, the EU decision is motivated mostly by the fact that there is a climate conference in Paris organized in the next year and so the political aspects are overshadowing the practical feasibility.

„The implementation of the decision in protecting the European industry will be most important of all,“ Rafaj stressed. „If the competitiveness of the European companies is reduced there is a danger that the production will be transferred to other parts of the world.“

A good example of it is the steel industry. While in Europe, the steel production has been reduced by a quarter in the last five years, the global production is rising.

The same concerns have been expressed by the BUSINESSEUROPE whose member is the Confederation of the Industry of the Czech Republic as well.

„It is necessary to prevent the European industry being transferred to larger economies with a more lenient rules on climate,“ the BUSINESSEUROPE director general Markus Beyrer pointed out. „The EU leaders had no strength to orient the European climate and energy policy so that it will take into account the international competitiveness of the EU industry.“

On the other side, the Confederation considers the decision on a 27 percent increase in renewable energy creation a partial compromise.

„The target has been set at an EU level and thus not for the individual countries as it has been formulated in the original proposal,“ Rafaj said.

BUSINESSEUROPE message to EU