Britain has not yet determined the amount of energy it plans to obtain from renewable sources such as wind and solar by 2020. This lack of ambition is causing concern among industry players. In March, European Union leaders agreed to a mandatory target of obtaining one-fifth of all energy from renewable sources by 2020 to combat climate change. The distribution of this target among the 27 EU member states has not been decided. Tough negotiations are expected before a decision is made in January, and the renewable energy industry is worried that Britain's goals are not ambitious enough. The Renewable Energy Association of Britain believes there is a negative outlook on renewables in the country. Renewable energy is better for the environment but is more costly than traditional fossil fuels, so it requires support in research, development, and installation to promote investment and reduce costs. Greene referenced EU data that indicated in 2005, Britain obtained 1.8 percent of its energy from renewable sources, compared to the EU-27 average of 6.7 percent. The UK government confirmed their commitment to the EU's 20 percent target for renewable energy, stating that they are in the process of determining how to achieve this goal. Despite existing policies, Britain expects to only reach 5 percent renewable energy by 2020, deeming the EU target as ambitious. Leaked documents suggest that doubling the renewable energy share to 10 percent by 2020 could cost up to 4.4 billion pounds annually. The documents indicated that Britain was seeking a flexible approach, such as using a method similar to carbon offsetting to achieve targets. This method involves paying another party to install renewable energy on your behalf. EU Energy Commissioner Andris Piebalgs expressed support for this trading approach two weeks ago, where wealthier EU countries would invest in renewable energy in the newer, predominantly ex-communist members of the bloc. This proposal received a varied response from renewable energy companies.