Spain, Portugal and Luxembourg are urging the European Union to set a renewable energy target for 2040, arguing that a clear long-term goal would guide investment and reduce the bloc’s dependence on imported fossil fuels. The three countries made the request in a letter to EU Energy Commissioner Dan Jørgensen dated September 25.
The EU currently aims to raise renewable sources to 42.5% of its overall energy consumption by 2030, but it has no equivalent target for 2040. The European Commission is preparing policies that will shape the bloc’s energy strategy beyond the end of this decade.
Spanish Energy Minister Sara Aagesen said investors need clear signals about Europe’s direction. In their letter, the three governments argued that renewable energy can be expanded at scale and that recent disruptions to global fuel supplies have exposed the risks of relying heavily on fossil fuels.
The proposal is likely to renew a debate among EU members over which technologies should count toward future energy goals. France, Sweden and other countries favor a broader clean energy target that would include nuclear power. Finland’s climate minister, Sari Multala, said nuclear energy should be part of the solution, while countries including Luxembourg and Austria remain opposed to expanding it because of safety and waste concerns.
The three-country letter is a call for a new target, not an EU agreement. Any 2040 goal would still need to be developed through the bloc’s policy process and negotiated among member states.
