Litouwse ambassadeur: duurzame energie kan bijdragen aan concurrentievermogen (en)

On June 26th in the Esplanade of European Parliament, Brussels Deputy Permanent Representative of Lithuania to the EU Ambassador Arūnas Vinčiūnas took part in the opening of the photo exhibition “VISUALIZING ENERGY. Renewables in Action”, spoke about Lithuanian national situation regarding renewables generation and briefly introduced the priorities of the upcoming Lithuanian EU Council Presidency in the field of energy.

“Lithuania has good scientific, technological and industrial potential for renewable energy development and could increasingly use hydro, biomass and geothermal resources, to some extend wind’ - said ambassador Vinčiūnas, who acknowledged that currently Lithuania is fully dependent on the supply from external, mainly outside EU, sources.

Lithuania’s national target is to reach 23 % of renewables in final energy consumption by 2020. It would strengthen Lithuania’s energy independence substantially. Already today Lithuania has reached about 17%.

Speaking about priorities of the incoming Lithuanian EU Council Presidency A.Vinčiūnas stated, that completion of the EU internal energy market by 2014 will be the top priority, as it is the key element to improve the security of supply and ensure affordable prices for citizens and business.

“Well-functioning energy market should enable energy flows from higher energy prices areas to lower; it should guarantee integration and functioning of massive renewable energy generation.”- said ambassador Vinčiūnas, assuring that as the Presidency of the EU Council Lithuania will do its best to increase the widespread understanding of the benefits of renewable energy.

He also added that Lithuania is committed to strengthen the external dimension of the EU energy policy, since the EU internal energy market relies on external suppliers and there is an urgent necessity to improve European competitiveness. “I strongly believe that the renewable energy could be of use for the achieving this goal,”- said ambassador.

The ceremony took place in the Esplanade of European Parliament, Brussels and was attended by distinguished speakers: the President of the European Renewable Energy Council, the Minister of Environment, Energy, and Urban renovation of the Region of Brussels-Capital, the EU Commissioner for Climate Action, MEP from Socialist & Democrats (S&D) Group, Deputy Permanent Representative of Ireland to the EU.

The aim of the photo exhibition, organized by Revolve Magazine, is to highlight the human dimension of renewable energies by showing workers in projects around Europe. The EU is promoting a wider understanding of renewable energy’s advantages and the significance of a more secure and cost-effective energy system, as renewable sources of energy are necessary to move towards a cleaner future, would reduce the dependence on imported energy as well as boost technological innovation and employment.