EU Commission energy package: Luxembourg is pushing for an EU

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Motorway in Saxony: The EU wants to do without fossil fuels from Russia in the long term

Photo: Jan Woitas / dpa

Wind power, solar power, energy saving - and also a speed limit?

What the traffic light partners of the federal government left out in their coalition agreement could now possibly pick up speed at European level.

In order to get rid of energy imports from Russia, Luxembourg's Energy Minister Claude Turmes has called for an EU-wide speed limit

"What we need at EU level is an EU-wide coordinated speed limit and two days of home office per week," said Claude Turmes of the dpa news agency.

Together with car-free weekends in major European cities, this could save 2.5 million barrels of oil.

"I urge the Commission not to miss the opportunity to set Europe on this path."

This Wednesday, the EU Commission is presenting a comprehensive plan to supply the EU with long-term energy without fossil fuels from Russia.

In addition to higher energy saving targets, the authority also wants more ambition in the expansion of renewable energies, as can be seen from drafts.

For example, 45 percent of the energy in the EU should come from renewable sources by 2030, instead of the previously planned 40 percent.

At the same time, it is likely to be proposed to reduce energy consumption by at least 13 percent by the end of the decade, instead of the nine percent previously planned.

There is no explicit mention of a speed limit in the drafts - however, further proposals are to be presented to reduce energy consumption.

New gas deliveries, more green electricity - and climate-friendly hydrogen

According to the drafts, the EU must invest a total of around 195 billion euros by 2027 in order to become independent of Russian energy - in addition to the initiatives already planned under the "Fit for 55" climate package.

Among other things, the number of solar power systems should more than double by 2028 according to the drafts of the EU Commission.

For example, the Commission wants all industrial buildings to be fitted with solar cells, with new buildings to follow.

In addition, she is expected to present a legislative initiative for shorter approval procedures of a maximum of one year for certain plants.

The Commission is also relying on climate-friendly hydrogen, which is produced from green electricity and can partially replace gas.

Among other things, she wants to present specifications for production here.

By 2030, 10 million tons of it will be produced in the EU and another 10 million tons will be imported, according to the preliminary documents.

The Commission is also counting on new gas suppliers such as the USA.

In the event of an emergency that Russia turns off the gas tap, she also wants to propose capping the price of gas across the EU.

In addition, the EU is increasingly focusing on offshore wind power, among other things.

The governments of Denmark, Germany, Holland and Belgium want to work more closely together on this.

EU-wide, twenty times as much wind energy is to be generated on the seas by 2050 as has been the case so far, also to produce green fuels.

Germany, in particular, must also expand its grids in order to get electricity from the sea to the industrial regions in the south of the country.

According to the draft, the money for implementing the reforms should come from the pot for EU agricultural policy or from the Cohesion Fund for regional development.

Additional money could therefore come in through the auctioning of new certificates from emissions trading.

In the system, electricity producers have to buy certificates for the emission of gases that are harmful to the climate.

The total sum is not clear from the drafts.

According to EU sources, it could be about 200 billion euros.

According to the draft, the allocation of the funds should be organized via the RRF development instrument created in the course of the corona crisis.

apr/dpa