While primary consumption of energy stood in 2013 at its level from the early 1990s, renewables have increased their share in final energy consumption, and greenhouse gas emissions decreased over the same time period, Eurostat said in a special report on the occasion of the publication of the 2015 Energy, Transport and Environment statistical book and with regard to the forthcoming United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP21) in Paris. Compared with 1990, most member states reduced their greenhouse gas emissions by 2012, led by the three Baltic countries and Romania, which all more than halved their levels.
From other countries tracked by Balkan Green Energy News, Bulgaria registered the biggest drop in emissions, 44.1%. It reduced the level by 2.67 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent from 2005, to 61.76 million. Romania made a greater absolute and relative progress, lowering emissions from 141.73 to 119.19 million tonnes in the seven-year period, or 52% compared to 1990. Croatia cut its emissions by 17.4% from the 1990 level of 32.32 million tonnes. EU average was 17.9%. Compared to 2005, a reduction of 4.24 million to 26.71 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent was registered in the country, according to Eurostat’s data.
Emissions in Cyprus soared 47.7% to 10.07 million tonnes, ranking second in the EU by the relative addition since 1990, between Malta and Spain, but the country did register a drop from the 10.78 million tonnes detected in 2005. A rise in emissions of 2.7% was detected in Slovenia, while Greece added 5.7% compared to 22 years before. Both markets reduced the equivalent of carbon dioxide from 2005.
The target cut in primary energy consumption for 2020 was reached by twenty EU member states in 2013, and there is a steady trend of decline since 2006, according to the report. Greece ranked second and Romania was sixth with a reduction of 22.6% and 15.8% from 2005, respectively. Bulgaria took the eighth position in the chart with a 13.8% cut, and Cyprus was eleventh, having reduced primary energy consumption by 12%. Bulgaria is in the group of seven countries which still need to reach the 2020 target, while Croatia’s target wasn’t determined. It registered a cut of 11% from 2005, and Slovenia had its primary energy consumption decrease by 4.3%.
The EU’s members from Southeastern Europe, including Cyprus, were all positioned closer to the middle of the chart for the share of renewable sources in gross final consumption of energy in 2013. Bulgaria, with 19%, was in the group of four EU member states which reached their target level for 2020. Romania, with 23.9% share, and Italy, with 16.7%, were less than 0.5 percentage points away. Greece advanced from 6.9% in 2004 to 15%, compared to target 18%. Croatia added 4.8 percentage points in the same period, reaching an 18% share, while it needed to advance to 20%. Cyprus stood at 8.1% in 2013 and it should reach 13%. Slovenia had a 3.5 percentage point gap to fill and get to a 25% share, Eurostat said.
