Solar Heat Europe met with the Cabinet of Charles Michel, President of the European Council, to discuss how to raise attention on renewable heating and cooling and ensure a green recovery after the COVID19 pandemic

On October 8^th Solar Heat Europe met with the Cabinet of Charles Michel, President of the European Council. The meeting was organised on behalf of the Coalition for Higher Ambition and coordinated by CAN Europe, Europe’s leading environmental NGO coalition.

The meeting was the occasion to deliver to Ms. Oana Valceleanu, Green Deal Advisor, a joint letter from the coalition calling for higher 2030 targets and more ambition on energy and climate issues.

Solar Heat Europe brought a few key points in the discussion, such as the need to give more attention to the heating and cooling sector, addressing more its energy efficiency potentials and a further increase in the use of renewable heat sources. Our Secretary General also stressed the urgency to take quick actions, considering how critical this decade is for the energy transition: to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, and addressing urgently our carbon budget, strong measures need to be taken immediately, to have already a strong impact by 2030.

Ms. Valceleanu acknowledged that renewables are low-hanging fruit, and whilst is important to use those already existing in the market, more innovation is needed to achieve the long-term target and give the EU a competitive advantage. She also wondered about the involvement of SMEs, stressing how this sector should be addressed when specific policy tools. However, she also reminded the need for regulatory stability and predictability: the Commission presented some ideas on the Just Transition Fund and a Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism but no decisions on policy tools were taken. A proposal for the extension of the ETS should also be proposed next year.

The pandemic stressed how the green transition needs to be well managed, and how there are different perspectives on the level of risk that we need to take. In this context, some Member States do not want to engage until all technology solutions will be on the table.

As part of the Coalition activity, Solar Heat Europe and other associations will also meet with Vice-President of the EU, Mr. Frans Timmermans on October 27^th.