January 23 (SeeNews) - Slovenia ranked fourth in the EU in terms of the share of energy from renewables used in transport in 2021 with 10.6%, above the EU average of 9.1%, yet well below the bloc's 14% target set for 2030, according to data released by the European Union's statistical office on Monday.
The list was topped by Sweden and Finland, which had a renewables share in transport of 30.4% and 20.5% respectively in 2021 and were the only two countries to go beyond the 2030 target, helped by a significant use of compliant biofuels, Eurostat said in a data release.
You can download the 2024 Renewable energy in Southeast Europe report here
On the other hand, Greece lagged at the bottom of the table, on a par with Ireland, each with a share of just 4.3%.
"Despite an increase in the use of renewable energy in transport in absolute terms compared with 2020, the decrease in the share is linked to both the increase in transport activities due to lifting of COVID-19 restrictions and to the change of methodology," Eurostat noted. The 2021 data set references the newer EU renewable energy directive from 2018, known as RED II, which strengthened the sustainability criteria for bioenergy.
According to the data set, out of the five EU members from Southeast Europe Croatia was the only one to post a feeble annual increase in the share of renewables in transport, from 6.6% in 2020 to 7% in 2021. In Bulgaria and Romania, this share declined by 1.5 percentage points (pp) and 0.8 pp over the same period, to 7.6% and 7.7% respectively. The EU as a whole recorded a decrease of 1.2 pp compared to 2020.
Last week, Eurostat revealed that the EU average share of renewables in final consumption decreased for the first time in 2021, by 0.3 percentage points on 2020.