EU and ISA to sign a joint Declaration for cooperation on solar energy

/ Policy & Regulations / Wednesday, 12 December 2018 08:10

The 6th EU Energy Day took place in Katowice, Poland, as part of the EU side events program at the United Nations Climate Change Conference COP24. As part of the program, a Joint Declaration between the EU and the International Solar Alliance (ISA) for cooperation on solar energy was signed.

The Declaration was signed by Miguel Arias Cañete, European Commissioner for Energy and Climate Action, on behalf of the EU, and Upendra Tripathy, Director General of the International Solar Alliance, in the presence of Raj Kumar Singh, Minister of State, Power and New and Renewable Energy of India as well as Brune Poirson, Minister of State, attached to the Minister of Ecological and Inclusive Transition of France, and EU solar industry sector representatives.

Commissioner Arias Cañete said, “Joining efforts with the International Solar Alliance will reinforce the EU’s position as a global leader in the clean energy transition. It will help us fulfil our reduction of greenhouse gas emissions objectives and implement the Paris Agreement. The ISA, because of its fast-growing number of member countries, constitutes a perfect platform to disseminate EU approaches, practices and technologies on solar energy success stories in and outside Europe. It will showcase European businesses leading in the solar energy sector and contribute to the efforts of internationalization of our companies and to the Commission's priority of growth and job creation. In this regard, I must also highlight the excellent cooperation with India in the area of clean energy and climate change, and in particular in the field of renewable energy.”

The International Solar Alliance (ISA) was launched on 30 November 2015 by India and France to implement the Paris Agreement. It aims to provide a dedicated platform for cooperation among solar resource-rich countries where the global community, including bilateral and multilateral organizations, corporates, industry, and other stakeholders, can make a positive contribution to assist and help achieve the common goals of increasing the use of solar energy in a safe, convenient, affordable, equitable and sustainable manner. It is a response to the challenges and opportunities that the ISA aims to address: optimal absorption of the sun’s rays, great amount of sunlight year-round, large agrarian populations, and gaps in the potential solar energy manufacturing eco-system. Likewise, the absence of universal energy access, energy equity and affordability are issues common to most of the solar resource-rich countries. To date, 71 countries have signed the ISA framework. The Joint Declaration by ISA and the Union on cooperation for the promotion of solar energy does not create any legal obligations on either side under domestic or international law.

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