The 2009 Lisbon Treaty gave the European Union (EU) the authority to develop an energy policy containing four essential elements, including the promotion of energy efficiency and savings and the development of new, renewable energy sources. In the 2009 Renewable Energy Directive the target for energy consumption from renewable sources across the EU was set at 20 %, to be reached by the end of 2020. Our audit examines the design, implementation and monitoring of EU and national strategies for electricity generation from renewables, in particular from wind and solar photovoltaic (PV) sources. We will assess actions taken at Commission level and in four Member States (Germany, Greece, Spain and Poland). Our audit will review the EU and national legal frameworks, and assess the use of EU funding for renewables. Moreover, we will examine a sample of 24 ERDF/CF-funded wind and solar PV projects from the 2007-2013 and 2014-2020 programme periods.

Background paper: Electricity production from wind and solar photovoltaic power in the EU