Press Releases

Pröll on the future of energy: European citizens expect greater use of ecopower

Survey: wind energy, hydropower and biomass are favourites

In the context of today’s talks with EU Agriculture Ministers on the Biomass Action Plan, President of the Council Josef Pröll publicly presented the main findings of a survey conducted at the beginning of the year. According to the survey carried out by the Fessel-GfK Institute for Market Research, an overwhelming majority of respondents are concerned that fossil fuels such as oil and natural gas will be subject to further price increases. At the same time, however, only a very small number expressed the same concern about renewable energy sources such as biomass and wind energy. When asked which energy sources the EU should increasingly promote in future, respondents expressed a clear preference for renewable energy sources.

Minister Pröll stated that it was evident from the survey presented in Brussels today that a clear majority in the eight representative Member States that took part in the survey (Austria, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Italy, Slovenia, Spain, and the United Kingdom) show a marked preference for renewable energy such as hydropower, biomass and wind energy and want the European Union to commit itself more strongly to these energy sources.

No broad support for nuclear energy

“There was no particular enthusiasm for promoting nuclear energy in any of the countries that took part in the survey”, remarked the Minister for Agriculture and the Environment Josef Pröll on the results of the study. In Germany 27 per cent supported nuclear power, in the United Kingdom 29 per cent and in the Czech Republic 23 per cent. In Austria, only eight per cent of the respondents were in favour.

EU Action Plan aims to double biomass use by 2010

Minister Pröll pointed out that, against this background, Europe needed to assess its energy policy and work out new priorities. He went on to say that, with the Biomass Action Plan, agriculture would make its own contribution in the area of biomass. Europe had the potential to more than double the use of biomass Europe-wide from the current level of 69 million tonnes oil equivalent to 185 million tonnes. “It’s my aim to develop a strategy in close liaison with the Energy Ministers during the Austrian Presidency, so that we are able to use the potential to the full”, said the Minister.