Press Release: European Union launches coalition of like-minded states to deliver World Summit renewable energy goals

The European Union announced on 3 September 2002 that it was forming a coalition of like-minded countries and regions committed to increasing their use of renewable energies through quantified, time-bound targets. The initiative was announced at the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg by European Environment Commissioner Margot Wallström as a key means of implementing the Summit agreement that the global share of renewable energy sources should be substantially increased.