Netherlands far behind other EU countries on renewable energy goals

The Netherlands is the furthest away from achieving its renewable energy goals of any European Union country, Statistics Netherlands concluded in a comparative study between the Netherlands and other EU Member States. In 2017, only 6.6 percent of all energy generated in the Netherlands came from renewable sources, RTL Nieuws reports.

Only Luxembourg is more reliant on fossil fuels than the Netherlands, with 6.4 percent of its energy coming from renewable sources. But as the European Union gave Luxembourg lower goals on renewable energy, the Netherlands is still the furthest behind. By next year 14 percent of the energy generated in the Netherlands should come from renewable sources like wind, sun, water or biomass.

Sweden is the European Leader on clean energy with 54 percent of its power being generated from renewable sources. Finland, Latvia, Denmark and Austria all generate more than 30 percent of their power from renewable sources. 

Statistics Netherlands compared to the Netherlands to other EU countries on various points for Europe Day on Thursday. The Netherlands ranks high on most points. 98 percent of Dutch households have internet access, the most of all EU Member States. Unemployment is relatively low. And the level of prosperity is among the highest in the EU.

Compared to other Europeans, the Dutch have a high life expectancy, relatively high trust in each other, and a lower risk of poverty. The Netherlands is also in the lead when it comes to mortgages - Dutch homeowners have the highest mortgage debt of all Europeans. In Romania the situation is reversed - there almost all household have their own home with no mortgage. 

The stats office also reported that greenhouse gas emissions in the Netherlands decreased by 2 percent last year, compared to 2017. Compared to 1990, the country reduced its greenhouse gas emissions by 14.5 percent, according to preliminary figures. The Netherlands' goal is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent when compared to 1990 by next year.