Abstract:
Sustainable development can be achieved through many strategies, economic models, means and ways, but without a common goal in the energy sector the effort would not generate tangible results. The energy sector goes through many changes and requires a common plan for achieving energy sustainability, because the fossil fuels are limited while the energy needs are increasing. The main goal of this research is to suggest some pathways to sustainable energy and development in EU, by analyzing, firstly, the “green” concepts which contribute to sustainable development and, secondly, the achievement of the 2020 targets set by European Union for each member state in the energy sector by comparing the primary and final energy consumption for 2012 with the expected 2020 targets. The results showed that the targets assumed by all member states for energy consumption for 2020 are not so significant considering that the assumed level is about the same as the one from 1990. European Union should adopt much higher targets in the energy sector and it should design and implement a better and more integrated model, like the one presented in this paper, in order to achieve energy sustainability and, through it, the sustainable development.
