25.1.93 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities NoC19/7
OpinionontheproposalforaCouncilDecisionconcerningthepromotionofrenewable
energysourcesintheCommunity (!)
(93/C19/03)
On16July1992,theCouncildecidedtoconsulttheEconomicandSocialCommittee,
underArticle130softheTreatyestablishingtheEuropeanEconomicCommunity,onthe
abovementioned proposal.
TheSectionforEnergy,NuclearQuestionsandResearch,whichwasresponsibleforpreparing
theCommittee'sworkonthesubject,adopteditsOpinionon30October1992.The
RapporteurwasMrvonderDecken.
Atits301stPlenarySession(meetingof24November1992),theEconomicandSocial
Committeeadoptedthefollowingunanimously .
1.Introduction
1.1.Atitsmeetingof29October1990,thejoint
Energy/EnvironmentCouncilspecifiedthatthestabiliz­
ationofC02emissionsbytheyear2000atthe1990
levelof2738milliontonnesshouldbetheCommunity's
objective.
1.2.Inordertomeetthiscommitment ,astrategy
involvingasetofnon-fiscalandfiscalmeasureswas
proposedbytheCommissioninOctober1991.Theaim
ofthisstrategywastoimproveefficiencyintheuseof
energyandtoencouragetheuseofenergysources
whicharelesspollutingintermsofC02emissions
[SEC(91)1744finalof14October1991].Intheabsence
ofsuchmeasures,CommunityC02emissionsarefore­
casttoincreasebyatleast12%between1990andthe
year2000.
1.3.Inthiscontext,theCommissionthinksthatpri­
oritymustbegiventomakinggreateruseofrenewable
energysources(orrenewables),asthesecanmakea
significantcontributiontostabilizingC02emissions.
However,thispresupposestheadoptionofmeasures
tostrengthenresearch,developmentanddemonstration
programmesandimprovetheseenergysources'position
onthemarketinrelationtoothersources.
1.4.ThisstrategywasapprovedbythejointEnergy/
Environment Councilon13December1991.Point8of
theconclusionsadoptedbytheCouncilprovidesinter
aliafortheintroductionatCommunitylevelofspecific
measuresintendedtoencouragethegreaterdevelop­
mentofnewrenewableenergysources.
1.5.TheCommissionintendstotakeactioninthree
complementary fields.Thisactionwillbeadditionalto
nationalinitiatives(forwhichitwillprovideastimulus
atthesametime)andwillcover:
—continuationandstrengthening ofresearchand
developmentactivitiesinthefieldofrenewable
energysources(CouncilDecisionof14March1989onaspecifictechnologicalresearchanddevelop­
mentprogrammeintheenergyfield—non-nuclear
energysourcesandrationaluseofenergy(1989­
1992)(Jouleprogramme )(2)andofenergytech­
nologypromotion (Thermieprogramme )(3);
—introductionofaCommunityenergy/COztax,
whichshouldhelptoincreasethecompetitiveness
ofrenewablesinparticular;
—implementation ofaccompanying measuresdesign­
edtodrawmaximumcommercial benefitfrom
research,developmentanddemonstration effortsin
thefieldofrenewableenergysourcesandtocreate
anenvironmentfavourabletotheirincreasedpen­
etrationofthemarket.
1.6.ThesemeasuresarepartoftheCommunity
actionprogrammeforpromotingthepenetrationof
renewableenergysourcesin1993-1997 :thisprogramme
hasnowbeenproposedbytheCommission ,and
includesthedraftDecisiononwhichtheCommittee
hasbeenformallyconsulted.
1.7.Thisprogramme—Altener—shouldthushelpto
improvetheuseoflocalenergyresources,makeefficient
useofpublicfundsandprotecttheenvironmentby
limitingemissionsofgreenhousegasesandotherpol­
lutants.Itshouldalsoplayitspartinthecompletion
oftheinternalmarketandreducetheCommunity's
dependenceonimportedenergy.
1.8.Inquantitativeterms,implementation ofthe
measuresdescribedinPoint1.5shouldmakeitpossible
toachievethefollowingobjectivesby2005:
—renewableenergysources'shareoftotalenergy
demandtobeincreasedfromnearly4%in1991to
5or6%in2000and8%in2005;
—electricityproductionfromrenewables (excluding
largehydroelectricpowerstations)tobetrebled;
(2)OJNoL98,11.4.1989,p.13.
(3)OJNoL185,17.7.1990,p.1. (i)OJNoC179,16.7.1992,p.4.

25.1.93 NoC19/8 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities
2.2.SincetheCouncil'sadoptionon16September
1986ofnewCommunityenergypolicyobjectivesfor
1995(*),theCommitteehashadtheopportunityof
commentingonseveraldraftCouncilresolutionsor
recommendations ,allofwhichhavebeendesignedto
createamorefavourableenvironment andconditions
fortheincreaseddevelopmentanduseoftenewables
intheCommunity .
2.3.Inthisconnection,itisregrettablethat,beyond
theinformationcontainedintheExplanatoryMemor­
andumtotheproposedDecision,noreporthasever
beensenttotheCommitteewhichwouldhaveallowed
ittomakeafullerassessmentofrenewableenergy
developments intheCommunityoverrecentyears.Such
reportswouldalsohavebeenparticularlyusefulfor
theevaluationoftheactionprogrammethatisnow
proposed.
2.4.Itisalsoregrettablethattodatethereareno
reliable,coherentandharmonizedstatisticswhich
wouldmakeitpossibletobemorespecificaboutthe
contributionofrenewableenergysourcestotheCom­
munity'senergybalanceandwhichcouldserveasa
basisfordevelopmentprojections .
Inparticular,itwouldhavebeenusefultohavesuch
statisticsonprimaryandsecondaryenergyproduction
andthetrendinenergyconsumption inthevarious
sectorsoftheeconomy.
2.4.1.Inthisconnection,theCommitteewelcomes
themeasurescurrentlybeingtakenbytheCommission ,
incollaboration withtheMemberStates,withaview
todevelopingasystemforthecollectionandprovision
ofstatisticsonrenewableenergysourcesonaregular
andcomparablebasis.Theprojectwaslaunchedin
1990bytheCommissionandhasalreadyenabledcom­
parable,albeitinsomecasesstillincomplete,statistics
tobegatheredfor1989.
2.5.Havingsaidthis,itmustberecognizedthat,
notwithstanding thevariousCouncilrecommendations
andresolutions,therehasbeennosignificantupsurge
inrenewableenergysourcesinrecentyears.
2.6.In1985,thecontributionofrenewables (market­
edandstatisticallyrecorded)tototalenergydemand
wasestimatedtobe15milliontoe,orscarcely1%.
Moreover,some85%ofthisrenewableenergywas
producedinhydro-electric stations.Againin1985,
genuinelyexploitablepotentialbytheyear2000was
putatbetween42and52milliontoe.
2.7.Nevertheless ,astheCommissionstressedinits
May1988Communication :'ThemainFindingsofthe
Commission'sReviewofMemberStates'EnergyPoli­
cies'[COM(88)174final],theseforecastsweremade
beforethedramaticfallinoilprices,sincewhenthere—biofuels'shareofmotorvehiclefuelconsumption
tobeincreasedto5%.
1.9.TheCommissionthinksthat,asaresult,a180
milliontonnesreductioninC02emissionscouldbe
achievedby2005.Implementation oftheAltenerpro­
grammealoneshouldcontributetoaonepercentage
pointreductioninCO.emissions,i.e.slightlymore
than30milliontonnes,bytheyear2000.
1.10.Fourkindsofpracticalactionareenvisaged
undertheAltenerprogramme :
—measurestopromotethemarketforrenewable
energysourcesandtointegratethesesourcesinto
theinternalenergymarket.
Thesemeasureswillmainlyinvolvetheharmoniza­
tionoflegislationandtheformulationofcommon
technicalstandards;
—financialandeconomicmeasures;
—training,informationandoutreachactivities;
—cooperationwiththirdcountries(developingand
CentralandEasternEuropeancountries,including
thecountriesoftheformerSovietUnion).
1.11.TheDecisionproposedbytheCommission
underthisprogrammeseekstoenabletheCommunity
tocontributefinanciallytoarangeofactivitiesdesigned
topromoterenewableenergysources.Fourcategories
ofactivityareenvisaged :
—studiesandtechnicalevaluationsfordefiningtech­
nicalstandardsorspecifications ;
—measuresinsupportofnationalinitiativesaimedat
extendingorcreatinginfrastructures forrenew­
ables;
—measurestofosterthecreationofaninformation
networkdesignedtopromoteincreasedcoordi­
nationbetweennational,Communityandinter­
nationalactivities;
—industrialpilotprojectsrelatingtobiomassenergy,
inparticulartheproductionofbiofuelsandbiogas
andtheuseofshort-rotation coppicesandC4
plants.
1.12.AnallocationofECU40millionfromthe
Communitybudgetisproposedfortheimplementation
ofthisprogramme,whichwillrunforfiveyears.
1.13.ThedraftDecisionlaysdowntheratesofCom­
munityfinancingandtheselectionproceduresforeach
oftheactivitiesenvisaged.Italsoprovidesforaninterim
reporttobedrawnupduringthethirdyear,
accompaniedifnecessarybyproposedamendmentsto
theprogramme,andforafinalreport.
2.Thedevelopmentofrenewableenergysourcesin
thecontextofCommunityenergypolicy
2.1.TheAltenerprogrammeconstitutesthelatest
attempttoensureasubstantialincreaseinthecontri­
butionofrenewableenergysourcestotheCommunity's
energybalance. (l)OJNoC2.41,25.9.1986,p.1.

25.1.93 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities NoC19/9
hasbeenadeterioration bothintheoveralleconomic
situationandinthecompetitiveness ofrenewable
energysources(seePoint62oftheCommunication ).
2.8.In1991,renewableenergysalescoveredless
than2%ofprimaryenergydemand,totallingsome23
milliontoe.Largehydro-electricplantsaccountedfor
morethan13milliontoeofthistotal.Iffuel-woodis
alsotakenintoaccount(20milliontoe),renewable
energy'ssharerisestonearly4%.
2.9.AccordingtotheCommission ,theAltenerpro­
grammeshouldhelptoraiserenewableenergy'scontri­
butiontowardsmeetingtheCommunity'sprimary
energydemandto109milliontoe,or8%oftotalenergy
consumption ,by2005.
2.10.However,almosthalfofthisincreaseisexpect­
edtoderivefromagreaterexploitationofbiomass—
includingfuel-wood—thecontributionofwhichshould
risefrom25,4to66milliontoe.Thecontributionof
biofuels—whicharenotproducedatallatthe
moment—shouldinturnbecome11milliontoebythe
year2005.
2.11.TheCommission considersthatbiomass'isthe
onlyrenewableenergysourcewhichwillbeableto
makeasubstantialcontributiontothereplacementof
conventional fuels'.Atthesametime,itstressesthat
'prioritywillbegiventothecommercialpenetrationof
biofuelsandfuelsofagriculturalorigin'(Explanatory
Memorandum ,Point56).
2.12.TheCommissionalsothinksthatincreasing
renewableenergysources'contributiontotheCom­
munity'senergybalancewillmainlyinvolve(Explana­
toryMemorandum ,Point38):
—theexploitationofurbanandindustrialwaste;
—windpower,and
—smallhydro.developingtheexploitationofrenewableenergysources
intheCommunity .ESCOpinionof27January1988(2);
ProposalforaCouncilRecommendation totheMem­
berStatestopromotecooperationbetweenpublicelec­
tricitysupplycompaniesandauto-producers ofelec­
tricity.ESCOpinionof27October1988)(3).]
3.1.2.Inthiscontext,ithasalsofrequentlyques­
tionedwhethertheMemberStatesreallyhavethepoliti­
calwilltocreatetheconditionswhichwouldallow
renewablesourcestomakeaneffectivecontributionto
Communityenergysupplies.Ithascalled,inparticular,
fortheremovaloflegal,regulatoryandadministrative
obstaclesandbarriersarisingfromstandardization pro­
ceduresinordertoensurethewidespreaduseofrenew­
ablesources.
3.1.3.TheCommitteehasalsostressedthatthefull
potentialofrenewableenergysourcescannotbe
exploitedifthegeneralinfrastructureremainsasitis.
3.1.4.Italsothinksthattheobjectivesfixedforthis
andotherenergypolicyareascannotbeachievedunless
theyfitinwiththeactivitiesconductedwithinthe
frameworkofotherCommunitysectoralpolicieswhich
directlyaffecttheattainmentofthoseobjectives .
3.1.5.TheCommitteethereforereiteratesitssupport
fortheCommission'sinitiativesinthisareaand
endorsesthepresentationoftheAltenerprogramme
whichrepresentsthelatestattempt—thistimeincluding
quantifiedobjectives-—toensurethedevelopmentand
greaterpermanentuseofrenewableenergysources.
3.1.6.Nevertheless ,itnotesthattheCommission's
proposedprogrammeisbasedonananalysisandevalu­
ationofthestateofdevelopmentofrenewablesinthe
Communityandoftheprospectsinthisfield,which
theCommittee—nothavinganyinformationapart
fromthatcontainedintheExplanatoryMemor­
andum—isscarcelyinapositiontojudgebyitself.
3.1.7.Thus,theCommitteecanonlynotethefavour­
abledevelopments whicharereportedtohavetaken
placeinthisareasince1988andtheobviousneed
forconsolidation ,inparticularbysupportingnational
actionwithinitiativeswhichwillhelptocreatethe
necessaryconditionsforapermanentbreakthrough in
renewableenergysourcesthatwillnotbejeopardized
byfallsinthepricesoftraditionalenergysources.
3.1.8.TheCommitteealsourgesthatthisnew
expressionofnationalwillbereflectedinincreased
financialsupportforresearch,developmentanddemon­
strationactivitiesintherenewablesfield.Inrecent3.GeneralcommentsontheAltenerprogramme
3.1.Overallassessment
3.1.1.TheCommitteehasonnumerousoccasions
endorsedtheincreaseddevelopmentofrenewable
energysources,asmuchfromaconcerntogiveEurope
greaterenergysecurityasonbroaderenvironmental
andsocio-economic grounds.[ACommunityorien­
tationtodevelopnewandrenewableenergysources.
ESCOpinionof18August1986(*);Proposalfora
CouncilRecommendation totheMemberStateson
(2)OJNoC80,28.3.1988,p.5.
(i)OJNoC316,9.12.1986,p.1. (3)OJNoC337,31.12.1988,p.64.

NoC19/10 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities 25.1.93
3.2.5.TheCommitteethinksthatthelarge-scale
developmentofrenewableenergysourcesunderthe
Altenerprogrammeraisesseveralspecificquestions
whichshouldalsobeconsidered .yearstherehas,afterall,beenasteadyreductionin
appropriations forthisresearchsector.Inthisconnec­
tion,accountshouldbetakenoftheimportanceofsuch
aneffortforthegoalofstrengthening economicand
socialcohesionwithintheCommunity (seepoint3.2
below).
3.1.9.TheCommitteethinksthattheobjectivesfixed
undertheAltenerprogrammeareparticularly
ambitiousandthattherealpossibilityofachieving
themshouldnotbeoverestimated .Theminimalgrowth
inrenewablesinrecentyears,notwithstanding numer­
ousdeclarationsofintent,suggeststheneedforacertain
scepticism,particularlyasregardsthegoalofincreasing
renewables'contributiontototalenergydemand,from
nearly4%in1991to8%in2005.
3.1.10.Evenassumingthatsuchagoalcouldbe
attained,itwouldbewrongtooverestimatetheroleof
renewableenergyeitherinthecontextofreducing
C02emissionsorwithregardtoCommunityenergy
supplies.
3.1.11.Onthislatterpoint,itshouldberemembered
thattotalenergyconsumption intheCommunityis
forecasttoincreaseby20,7%betweennowandthe
year2005(i.e.from1160to1400milliontoe)whereas,
evenonthemostoptimisticassumption,only4%of
thisadditionaldemandwillbemetbyrenewableenergy
sourcesoverthesameperiod.Accordingtothelatest
forecasts,totalenergyconsumptionshouldnotinfact
increasebymorethanalittleover19%between1990
and2005,from1226to1461milliontoe.Inthiscase
only7,4%oftheCommunity'stotalenergydemand
willbemetbyrenewables—seeEnergyinEurope,spe­
cialissue,September1992,'Aviewtothefuture'.3.3.Impactontheenvironment
3.3.1.First,itwoulddrawattentiontothepoten­
tiallyadverseenvironmental effectofsuchadevelop­
mentwhichcould,intime,largelyoffsettheexpected
benefitswithregardtothereductionofC02emissions.
3.3.2.Forexample,noisepollutioncouldresultfrom
themorewidespreaduseofaerogenerators ,environ­
mentaldamagecouldbecausedbythedevelopmentof
smallhydroandshort-rotation coppicesandconifers
coulddamagethesoilandsurfacewater.
3.3.3.SomeoftheCommission'sstatementsonthis
mattermustbetreatedwithgreatcautionandthe
Committeethereforecallsforaregularassessmentof
theenvironmental impactoftheincreaseddevelopment
ofthedifferentformsofrenewableenergy.
3.3.4.Theseconsiderations donothingtoalterthe
Committee'sviewthat,atpresent,inmanycases,
renewableenergysourceshaveapotentiallymore
favourableenvironmental impactthantraditionalfuels,
therebyenhancingtheeconomicimportanceoftheir
development .
3.4.Electricityproductionfromrenewableenergy
sourcesinthecontextoftheinternalenergy
market
3.2.Renewableenergysourcesandeconomicand
socialcohesion
3.2.1.TheCommitteewould,however,stressthe
importanceofdevelopingrenewableenergysources
withaviewtostrengtheningtheCommunity'sinternal
economicandsocialcohesion.
3.2.2.Inthisconnection,availablestatisticsarevery
generalandthrownoreallightonthestateofrenew­
ablesdevelopmentinthedifferentCommunitystates
andregions,wheretheircontributiontoprimaryenergy
suppliessometimesexceeds10%.
3.2.3.Theexploitationofrenewableenergysources
thusrepresentsacrucialfactorforeconomicandsocial
development ,particularlyinremoteorperipheral
regionswhichhavearelativelyunderdeveloped energy
infrastructure and/oralarge-scaleexploitableenergy
potentialoftheirown.
3.2.4.Theseaspectshavealsobeenhighlightedin
numerousearlierESCOpinions(see,inparticular,foot­
notes1,2and3,page9).3.4.1.Thesecondquestioniswhetheritreallywillbe
possibletotripleelectricityproductionfromrenewable
energysources,especiallyfromsmallhydro,thecontri­
butionofwhichwoulddoublebetween1991and2005.
3.4.2.InitsOpinionofOctober1988ontheproposal
foraCouncilRecommendation totheMemberStatesto
promotecooperationbetweenpublicelectricitysupply
companiesandauto-producers ofelectricity(seefoot­
note3,page9),theCommitteeendorsedtheCom­
mission'sinitiativestocreateafavourableframework
forthedevelopmentofelectricityproductionfrom
renewableenergysourcesanditselfmadeseveral
suggestionsalongtheselines.
3.4.3.Inthiscontext,itendorsedtheconstruction
andoperationofsmallhydro-electricplantsandthus
approvestheremovalofthelegal,regulatoryand
administrative obstaclestotheirintroduction .
3.4.4.Nevertheless ,theremovaloftheseobstacles
wouldnot,initself,besufficient.Itmustalsoberemem­

25.1.93 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities NoC19/11
beredthat,inmostcases—andparticularlythatofsmall
hydro—theeconomicviabilityofproducingelectricity
fromrenewableenergysourcescanbeguaranteedonly
inthelongtermand,eventhen,onlyifdirectcostsare
takenintoaccount.
3.4.5.AttainmentoftheCommission'sgoalthuspre­
supposesthattheelectricitygeneratedinthiswaycan
besoldatapricewhichatleastmakesitpossibleto
coverinvestmentcostsandalldirectcosts.Thisraises
thequestionofwhethersuchanobjectiveiscompatible
withtheproposedliberalizationoftheelectricitysector
aspartofthecreationofamoreopenandcompetitive
internalenergymarket.
3.4.6.TheCommitteethereforecallsforanexamin­
ationoftheimpactwhichthecompletionoftheinternal
electricitymarketwillhaveonthedevelopmentof
renewableenergysources.3.5.4.1.This—relativelylarge—percentageshould
allayanyfearswhichtheCommission'sobjectivemay
raisefromtheenvironmental standpointandwith
regardtothepolicyofreducingagriculturalsubsidies.
3.5.5.Italsoseemsnecessarytoask(a)onwhat
premisesistheCommission'sobjectivebased,inpar­
ticularasregardsthegrowthinthemotorvehiclefleet
betweennowandtheyear2005andfuelconsumption
forecastsand(b)howthisfitsinwiththe'Community
strategyforsustainablemobility'asformulatedbythe
CommissioninitsGreenPaperontheImpactofTrans­
portontheEnvironment [COM(92)46final].
3.5.6.TheCommitteethinksthat,inadditionto
incentivesfortheconstructionofpilotplantsmanufac­
turingbiodiesel,theAltenerprogrammeshouldcover
industrialpilotplantsproducingoxygenatedpetrol
additives(bioethanol).
3.6.Thermalsolarenergy
3.6.1.Theuseofthermalsolarenergyvariesgreatly
fromoneregionoftheECtoanother.Thisapplies,as
onewouldexpectonclimaticgrounds,tothedifference
betweenthesouthernandnortherncountries;buteven
withinthesoutherncountriesthemselvestherearecon­
siderabledifferences,namelyapronounceddecline
fromEasttoWest.Greeceleadsthewaybyfar,fol­
lowedbyFranceandItaly.Thereisverylittleuseof
thermalsolarenergyinSpain.Thesameappliestothe
productionofsolarpanels.
3.6.2.TheCommitteecallsontheCommission to
lookintothereasonsforthesedifferencesandto
developstrategiesdesigned,inparticular,toencourage
marketpenetrationinsoutherncountrieswherethermal
solarenergyislittleused.3.5.Increaseduseofbiomassandbiofuels
3.5.1.TheimportanceattachedbytheCommission
tobiomassandbiofuelsalsopromptstheCommittee
tomakecertaincomments .
3.5.2.First,itwouldrecallthatithasitselfendorsed
theincreaseduseofagriculturalandforestryresources
forenergypurposesandparticularlyforbiofuelspro­
duction.Increasingtheuseofagriculturalandforestry
resourcesinthenon-foodindustrialandenergysectors:
prospectsopenedupbyresearchandtechnological
innovation .ESCOpinionof29March1990(*);Pro­
posalforaCouncilDirectiveonexcisedutiesonmotor
fuelsfromagriculturalsources.ESCOpinionof26May
1992(2).
3.5.3.Thus,whilstsupportingexploitationofthe
possiblesynergiesbetweentheCommonAgricultural
Policy(CAP)andenergypolicy,theCommitteedrew
attentionto'theneedtoavoidintensifiedfarmingtech­
niquesinflictingdamageonthecountryside,andthere­
byendangeringtheagriculturalfabricandharmingthe
environment'(!).
3.5.4.InthisconnectiontheCommitteenotesthat,
toreachthetargetsetbytheCommission ,namely
securingforbiofuelsamarketshareof5%oftotal
fuelconsumptionbymotorvehicles,itisstatedquite
specificallythatanagriculturalareaof7millionhec­
tareswillbenecessarytoproduce11milliontoe.This
figurerepresentsnearly5,5%oftheutilizedagricultural
areaoftheCommunity ,estimatedtobe128000million
hectares.(Cf.1991ReportontheAgriculturalSituation
intheCommunity ,ECCommission ,1992.)4.SpecificcommentsonthedraftDecision
4.1.TheCommitteeapprovestheproposalfora
Decisionprovidedthataccountistakenofthefollowing
commentsandproposedamendmentsoradditions:
4.2.Budgetaryaspects
4.2.1.Inthefirstplace,theCommitteewouldpoint
outthatnoallocationhasyetbeenfixed,evenbyway
ofguidance,forcertainfinancialsupportmeasuresand
cooperationwiththirdcountries.
4.2.2.Inthiscontext,itfindsitquiteremarkable
thatnoinformationisprovidedonthebudgetaryimpli­
cationsofthedevelopmentofbiofuelsdespitethepri­
orityattachedtothem.(>)OJNoC124,21.5.1990,p.47.
(2)OJNoC233,31.8.1992,p.1.

NoC19/12 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities 25.1.93
4.2.3.Secondly,theCommitteenotesthatthedraft
Decisionitselfcontainsnoprovisionspecifyingthelevel
ofappropriations fromtheCommunitybudgetwhich
isconsiderednecessaryfortheexecutionofthepro­
gramme.ThefigureofECU40millionmentionedin
theCommissiondocumentanditsbreakdownareonly
roughestimates,afactwhichmerelyaccentuatestheir
fragmentarynature.
4.2.4.TheCommissionexplainsthatsuchapro­
visionhasbeenomittedbecauseofitsconcerntopre­
serveanegotiatingmarginwiththedifferentbranches
oftheBudgetAuthorityinordertosecuretheannual
allocationoftheappropriations itconsidersnecessary
fortheimplementation oftheprogramme,andtoretain
sufficientflexibilitytodealwithunforeseeneventsand
toswitchprioritiesifnecessary.
4.2.5.Evenso,theCommitteeisconcernedthatthe
financingoftheAltenerprogrammemaybesubjectto
theuncertaintiesofthebudgetprocedureunlessthere
isagenuinepoliticalcommitmentonthepartofthe
MemberStatestohelpdeveloprenewableenergysourc­
eswhichisreflected,especiallyatafinanciallevel,in
theDecisiontobeadopted.
4.2.6.TheCommitteealsowonderswhetherthe
Commission'sapproachmightnotcastdoubtonthe
determination oftheCommunityanditsMemberStates
tomakeaneffectiveandsignificantcontributiontothe
reductionofC02emissions,inparticularthrougha
firmcommitmenttorenewableenergysources.
4.3.ActionbenefitingfromCommunityfunding
4.3.1.TheCommitteecallsfortheDecisiontospeci­
fytheselectioncriteriaandproceduresapplicableto
themeasureswhicharetobenefitfromCommunity
funding.4.3.2.Italsothinksthatallmeasurescoveredby
suchfundingmustbethesubjectofperiodicprogress
reportsinorder,inparticular,toensuretheefficient
managementofCommunityappropriations .
4.4.Evaluationofprogrammeresults
4.4.1.TheCommissionhasnotsetatargetfigure
forincreasingrenewableenergysources'shareoftotal
primaryenergydemandby1997,i.e.bytheendofthe
Altenerprogramme .
4.4.2.TheCommitteethereforewondersonwhat
basisitwouldbepossibletoevaluateprogresstowards
attainmentoftheobjectivesfixedfor2005,throughthe
implementation of,besidestheAltenerprogramme,all
themeasuresreferredtoinpoint1.5above.
4.4.3.TheCommitteealsocallsforanevaluationof
thefollowingoncompletionoftheprogramme :
—theimpactofnationalandCommunityactionon
theenvironment ,wherethisisappropriate ;
—theprogramme'scontributiontoattainmentofthe
goalofstrengthening theCommunity'sinternal
economicandsocialcohesion .
4.5.TransmissiontotheESCofthereportsreferred
toinArticle8
4.5.1.TheCommitteecallsforArticle8ofthedraft
Decisiontobeamendedtoensurethatit,too,receives
boththeinterimreporttobedrawnupduringthethird
yearoftheprogrammeandtheoverallevaluationreport
tobedrawnupontheprogramme'scompletion .
DoneatBrussels,24November1992.
TheChairman
oftheEconomicandSocialCommittee
SusanneTIEMANN