To ensure that offshore renewable energy can help reach the EU's ambitious energy and climate targets, the Commission published a dedicated EU strategy on offshore renewable energy COM(2020)741 on 19 November 2020 that assesses its potential contribution and proposes ways forward to support the long-term sustainable development of this sector. 

To maximise its impact, the EU strategy goes beyond a narrow definition of the factors of energy production and addresses broader issues, such as

• access to sea-space
• industrial and employment dimensions
• regional and international cooperation
• the technological transfer of research projects from the laboratory into practice

While reinforcing the role of offshore energy in the energy mix, the strategy underlines that sustainability and, more specifically, the protection of the environment and biodiversity will be key principles for all dimensions concerned.

This strategy will be discussed with the Council and the European Parliament, with regional representatives, stakeholders, social partners, NGOs and EU citizens, before taking forward the policy actions proposed. As a first step, the Council adopted conclusions on 11 December 2020, on fostering European cooperation in offshore giving political direction to the Commission to ensure a swift follow-up to these conclusions and the EU offshore renewable energy strategy.

Click here to learn more about the context of the EU strategy on offshore renewable energy and access all its related documents and links.