Eurostat indicates that the share of energy from renewable sources in energy consumption in the EU rose from 17.5% in 2017 to 18% in 2018, more than double the 2004 figure (8.5%), the first year for which data are available.

In Portugal the share fell slightly compared to 2017 - from 30.6 to 30.3% - but the country is the sixth largest user of renewable energy, in a list headed by Sweden (54.6%), followed by Finland (41.2%), Latvia (40.3%), Denmark (36.1%) and Austria (33.4%). In 2004, the share in Portugal was 19.2%.

At the opposite end of the list, the countries with the lowest share of renewable energy sources in overall energy consumption were the Netherlands (7.4%), Malta (8.0%), Luxembourg (9.1%) and Belgium (9.4%).

Eurostat shows that 12 countries had already achieved or exceeded renewable energy use targets by 2018 and four were less than one percentage point away, including Portugal (whose target for 2020 is 31%).

The EU as a whole has a target of 20% in 2020 (and at least 32% in 2030).