The European Union (EU) countries have approved the renewable energy target of 32% by 2030, on which the European Council and the European Parliament agreed on earlier in June 2018. The country ambassadors have endorsed the provisional agreement, which also means that the European Council has officially approved it. The directive will now be submitted for approval to the European Parliament - plenary vote expected in October 2018 - and then back to the Council for final adoption. The directive will enter into force 20 days following its publication in the Official Journal of the EU.
As per the new renewable energy target, 32% of Europe's final energy consumption will have to come from renewable energies (such as wind, solar, hydropower, tidal, biomass and geothermal) by 2030. The agreement also details several support schemes while permit granting procedures will be simplified and streamlined with a maximum procedure of two years for regular projects and one year in case of repowering. Conventional biofuels will be capped EU-wide at a maximum of 7%, while renewables via obligations on fuel suppliers are expected to reach a level of at least 14% in transport by 2030.