Increasing the EU’s energy independence
Europe’s dependence on imports of natural gas is a growing concern. Given the very limited opportunities for increasing domestic natural gas production, increased energy efficiency and greater use of renewable energy sources are the main options for decreasing imports over the long term. This paper argues that cost-effective measures in efficiency and realistic developments in renewables could halve the EU’s imports of natural gas, while reducing emissions of greenhouse gases by 49 per cent by 2030 (compared to 1990)…