BETTER - Bringing Europe and Third countries closer together through renewable Energies addressed RES cooperation between the EU and third countries in several dimensions. The starting point was given through the cooperation mechanisms provided by the RES Directive, allowing Member States to achieve their 2020 RES targets in a more cost efficient way, and thereby including the possibility to cooperate with third countries. Thus, BETTER assessed, through case studies, stakeholders involvement and integrated analysis, to what extent cooperation with third countries can help Europe achieve its RES targets in 2020 and beyond, trigger the deployment of RES electricity projects in third countries and create synergies and win-win circumstances for all involved parties.
The case studies focusing on North Africa, the Western Balkans and Turkey investigated in detail the technical, socio-economic and environmental aspects of RES cooperation. Complementary to these bottom-up analyses, an integrated assessment was undertaken from the “EU plus third countries” perspective, including a detailed quantitative cost-benefit evaluation of feasible policy approaches, as well as strategic power system analyses. Moreover, co-effects, such as, impacts on the achievement of EU climate targets, energy security and macro-economic aspects was analysed. The final outcome is a fine-tailored policy package, offering a concise representation of key outcomes, guidelines for practical implementation of RES cooperation and actions plans reflecting regional specifics.