The shortfall is pegged at 1000MW capacity, equivalent of 330 turbines, said the data released by the European Wind Energy Association.
Countries in the European Union had targeted a installed capacity of 5,829MW by the end of 2012, however, currently the installations total 4,994MW.
Individual country analyses have revealed that France and Germany lagged much further than most nations.
France hadn’t installed a single turbine in 2012, despite targeting 667MW generation while Germany installed just 280MW against a target of 792MW.
EWEA policy director Justin Wilkes said, "Solid installation figures do not alter the fact that the wind industry is being hit by political and regulatory instability, the economic crisis, the higher cost of capital and austerity."
The offshore wind industry in Britain, however, remained robust and accounted for the single biggest gain worldwide.
The country added 854MW capacity in 2012 with 58.9% of all European offshore wind capacity installed in British waters.
