Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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470. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment his views on the calls for higher European renewable energy targets and higher efficiency targets in the new clean energy package being negotiated in the EU. [49173/17]

Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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Last July I published Ireland’s first statutory National Mitigation Plan. This Plan lays the foundations for transitioning Ireland to a low carbon, climate resilient and environmentally sustainable economy and includes actions being taken in the electricity sector to achieve a low carbon energy sector by 2050. This Plan follows on from the December 2015 publication of Ireland’s latest Energy White Paper.

The adoption of the Clean Energy for All Europeans Package will be a critical milestone on the path to achievement of Ireland’s national transition objective to 2050.

Ireland remains committed to fulfilling the European Council Conclusions of October 2014, which set a binding EU target for renewable energy of at least 27% for 2030 and an indicative target at EU level of at least 27% in energy efficiency. In fact, Ireland has consistently called for ambitious targets on energy efficiency to be reflected in the Clean Energy Package. It is important that our contribution to the overall goals can be met in a cost efficient way, that is fair and technically achievable, and takes account of our specific economic circumstances and geographical position on the periphery of Europe.