The EU energy ministers, who held a meeting here to hammer out a common energy policy, accepted the target set by the European Commission to increase the use of renewable energy to 20 percent of the EU's total energy consumption by 2020.

The commission made the ambitious proposal in its energy policy package released last month, aiming to ensure supply and out greenhouse gas emission.

In its wide-ranging package, the EU's executive arm had sought to make the target of renewables a mandatory one for member states, which has to be approved by EU leaders at a March summit.

However, the energy ministers, whose meeting paved the way for the EU summit, insisted that the target should be voluntary. Though some members like Germany and Spain are ready to achieve the goal, several countries see no priority of renewables over other sources.

On another proposed binding target of 10 percent for transport biofuels for the EU by 2020, the 27 EU member states did reach a conditional agreement. The bloc's current goal for biofuels is 5.75 percent by 2010.