C 342/70
EN
Official Journal of the European Union
6.9.2022
Wednesday 16 February 2022
2.
Calls on the Commission to make ORE and other relevant energy technologies core components of the EU’s energy system by 2050;
3.
Emphasises that energy savings, energy efficiency and renewable energy are among the key drivers for reaching a net-zero emissions economy; recalls the Union’s commitment to the energy efficiency first principle and underlines the importance of implementing this principle in all relevant legislation and initiatives;
4.
Highlights that the energy production targets for ORE in all of the EU’s sea basins, as outlined in Commission communication COM(2020)0741, are at least 60 GW by 2030 and 340 GW by 2050; recalls that according to the Commission impact assessment accompanying communication COM(2020)0562 (16), the installed capacity of offshore wind should be 70-79 GW to ensure a cost-competitive road to a 55 % reduction by 2030; calls on the Member States and the public and private sectors to exceed the 55 % reduction target by 2030; urges the Commission to revise public procurement and State aid rules to secure a cost-competitive transition supported by a well-functioning market pushing the uptake of offshore wind; notes that there are areas with largely untapped ORE potential, such as the Atlantic, the Mediterranean, the Baltic Sea and the Black Sea; stresses that the decision to find space for this additional ORE capacity by 2030 is of the utmost importance and should be considered a priority and identified in the EU before 2023/2024 to allow construction by 2030; highlights that the competitiveness of offshore wind energy and ocean energy as an energy source will continue to increase and prices will continue to fall further in step with continuous development and deployment; highlights that ORE is a viable source of energy and that a sustainable and reliable energy system needs to combine ORE with other energy technologies, storage opportunities and flexible energy consumption;
5.
Believes that ORE needs to be sustainable across the entire value chain and have limited adverse impacts on the environment and on economic, social and territorial cohesion; recalls the promise of the European Green Deal that no-one should be left behind; underlines that the wellbeing of people should be at the heart of the green transition;
6.
Notes the competitive advantage of EU companies and technologies in the ORE sector; calls on the Commission to ensure that the EU is maintaining technological leadership, retaining talent and providing affordable, safe and sustainable energy while taking into account potential impacts, including those related to climate change and impacts on the marine environment; stresses the importance of maintaining this competitive advantage; underlines the potential for significant growth of the sector and its contribution to the EU economy, including technology and systems exports; stresses the importance of supporting R&D investments and building on the innovative ORE technology industry system through cross-border collaboration and partnership under Horizon Europe in order to facilitate and support robust European value chains, which are crucial for the twin transitions, while ensuring the swift uptake of the innovations developed in this field; emphasises the importance of high-quality industrial workplaces in facilitating a just transition;
7.
Underlines the need to maintain a clean, competitive and sustainable supply chain for ORE in the European Union; therefore stresses the need for suppliers to apply the highest quality health, safety and environmental standards according to European certification and standards determined in a dialogue process with all relevant stakeholders; further stresses the need to minimise transport costs in the supply chain; believes that public tenders should take these elements into consideration;
8.
Highlights that the deployment of ORE is an ideal opportunity for outermost regions and islands to decarbonise their energy mix and dramatically decrease their dependency on fossil fuel imports; calls for the ‘Clean Energy for EU Islands’ initiative to be stepped up with a strong focus on ORE; recalls that islands are particularly affected by sea level rise;
9.
Calls on the Commission to conduct, as soon as possible, an impact assessment to clarify the economic and socio-economic impacts of ORE, with a special focus on existing jobs and jobs created by deploying 300-450 GW of capacity by 2050;
(16)
SWD(2020)0176.