Oostenrijks voorzitterschap maakt haast met Actieplan biomassa (en)

"Following the alarming price hike for crude oil, the gas dispute between Russia and Ukraine has made one thing very clear: we must take action in the EU to reduce dependence on fossil energy sources. In my capacity as President of the EU Agriculture Council, I have therefore put the biomass action plan on the agenda for the next meeting on 23 and 24 January 2006.

We need to start discussions immediately, so that the action plan can be speedily adopted and actively implemented. We should seize the opportunities we have as Presidency in order to take Europe and Austria forward. As a leader in the use of alternative energy sources, Austria has a particular responsibility in this context", so Josef Pröll, Federal Minister for Agriculture and Environment, in his reaction to the dispute between Russia and Ukraine which threatened to disrupt gas supplies to the rest of Europe. Pröll said that in the coming four years alone, Europe could more than double the use of biomass for energy purposes.

Biomass currently accounts for 69 million tonnes of energy equivalent in the EU. European Commission studies have shown that this could be increased to 189 million tonnes by 2010. Knock-on effect: between 250 000 and 300 000 jobs in rural areas and savings in CO2 emissions of around 200 million tonnes per annum. Additional investment in biomass would also give a significant boost to innovation in green technologies and secure Europe's leadership in the world market in this sector. Renewable raw materials, so Pröll, should be used for space heating, electricity generation and as fuel.

New nuclear power stations are not an alternative, according to Pröll. "We should opt for an intelligent, balanced energy mix in Europe rather than investing in mega power stations." Quite apart from unanswered questions of nuclear safety, the gas crisis has clearly highlighted the problem of over-dependence on a single option. "Europe would be well advised to opt for a broad mix of sustainable, environmentally sound energy sources, Pröll concluded.