Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, as the President just explained, this is the second reading of the proposal for a Directive on the promotion of electricity produced from renewable energy sources. There is a legitimate hope that the first European legislation on renewable energy will soon come into force. This European legislation will help to increase the share of renewables in the electricity market. I am firmly convinced of that. The directive will help us, the EU, to achieve our voluntary target of doubling the share of renewables by 2010. It will make an important contribution to innovation in electricity generated from wind, solar, hydro and biomass. In this way, the EU will demonstrate that it is willing to shoulder its responsibility for climate protection and a sustainable energy supply. Just a few weeks ago I would not have made these statements in this way, as the Council common position differed from Parliament's position on some key points and the Council was initially showing little willingness to change its position. However, tomorrow you will be voting on the result of an intensive and productive negotiating process. There are 10 compromises worked out with the Council in an informal conciliation process on Amendments Nos 1 to 11, but without Amendments Nos 2 and 4. This demonstrates that the Council and Parliament have really moved closer together in this regard. At this point I would like to very sincerely thank the shadow rapporteurs of the other groups, in particular Mrs Ayuso González and Claude Turmes. They have devoted a lot of time and energy to this process and have demonstrated a willingness both to fight and to compromise. I also owe an equal debt of gratitude to the Swedish presidency, which successfully endeavoured to shift the Council closer to Parliament's position. Last but by no means least I would like to thank the responsible Commission officials who played a very important moderating role in the negotiating process. As is generally the case with compromises, we can perhaps be satisfied, if not exactly enthusiastic, about the outcome achieved. I regret that we have not been able to set any binding national targets. Even more importantly, I regard the definition of renewable energy sources before us as quite simply wrong. In order to make it easier to achieve the targets, some Member States have insisted on including the biodegradable component of household waste in non-separated refuse incineration. This not only runs counter to Europe's objectives for waste avoidance and treatment, but it also gives the wrong message and discourages greater use of genuine renewable energy sources. I nevertheless request that you vote for the compromises reached with the Council. On the one hand, the directive will, by virtue of the amendments secured by Parliament, lead to a significant increase in the use of renewables. On the other hand, I am firmly convinced that it would not have been possible to achieve anything further, even in the conciliation process. Now let me turn to the key positive results. First of all, the Member States will have to gear their incentive measures to indicative national targets. If it becomes clear that the overall EU target – doubling the share of renewables – cannot be achieved, then the Commission can make proposals for mandatory targets. Second, before proposing any harmonised support scheme, the Commission will have to report on the success of the various national systems in achieving an increase in the market share of electricity produced from renewable energy sources. Third, once any harmonised scheme comes into force, investor confidence regarding investments already made must be guaranteed. Fourth, access to the grid for electricity from renewable energy sources is guaranteed. This should not be jeopardised because of feed-in or transmission charges. Finally, proof of origin of electricity generated from renewables will guarantee transparency for the public. We have enormous potential for renewable energy sources here in Europe. We must exploit this potential in order to discharge our responsibility for sustainable development. (Applause)

Political group: PSE