This photograph taken on March 14, 2023 shows the flags of the member countries of the European Union at the European Parliament in Strasbourg. PHOTO AFP BRUSSELS -- European Union negotiators struck a political deal on Thursday on more ambitious targets to increase the use of renewable energy by 2030, an important pillar of the bloc's plans to fight climate change and end the use of Russian fossil fuels.
The EU countries and the European Parliament agreed that by 2030 the EU will get 42.5 percent of its energy from renewable sources like wind and solar, according to a member of the European Parliament Markus Pieper.
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The political deal must be approved by the EU ParliamentEU Parliament and EU countries before it can become law. The approval of the deal without changes is usually a formality.
In 2021, the EU got 22 percent of its energy from renewable sources, but the level varied significantly between countries. Sweden leads the EU countries with its 63 percent renewable energy share, while renewable sources make up less than 13 percent of total energy use in Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands and Ireland.
A legally binding aim to reduce net greenhouse gas emissions by 55 percent by 2030 is a must for the EU to meet its climate change goals, including a legally binding goal to reduce net greenhouse gas emissions by 55 percent from 1990 levels.
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The new goals will require massive investment in wind and solar farms, scaling up production of renewable gases, and reinforcing Europe's power grids to integrate more clean energy.
There will be more investments of 113 billion euros $123 billion in renewable energy and hydrogen infrastructure by the year 2030 if the EU countries are to stop relying on Russian fossil fuels.