European Union negotiators today reached political agreement on more ambitious targets to expand the use of renewable energy by 2030, a key pillar of the EU’s plans to fight climate change and move away from Russian fossil fuels.

EU countries and the European Parliament have agreed that by 2030 the 27-member EU will get 42.5% of its energy from renewable sources such as wind and solar, MEP Marcus Pieper said in a tweet. , of the European People’s Party.

The political agreement will now have to be approved by the European Parliament and EU member states before it can become law. These votes are usually formal and approve the agreement without changes.

The new law will replace the existing EU target of a 32% share of renewable energy by 2030.

The EU would get 22% of its energy from renewable sources in 2021, but this percentage varied significantly between countries. Sweden comes first among the 27 EU countries, getting 63% of its energy from renewable sources, while in Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands and Ireland, renewable sources provide less than 13% of the energy they use.

A rapid shift to renewable energy is critical if the EU is to meet its climate change targets, including the legally binding target of reducing net greenhouse gas emissions by 55% by 2030 relative to 1990.

Renewable energy targets have taken on added importance following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, as the EU has said it will end its dependence on Russian fossil fuels by 2027 – and plans to do so mainly through local, low-cost energy production. coal.

Achieving the new targets will require massive investments in wind and solar farms.