The Energy Efficiency Directive - romance novel or modern tragedy?

14 February 2012

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

[Brussels, February 14, 2012] - The Energy Efficiency Directive is in danger of turning from a romance novel into a modern tragedy. But we still have time to save it!

Reacting to today's Energy Council discussion on the draft Energy Efficiency Directive (EED), NGOs call on Ministers to inject a new level of ambition and urgency into the negotiations. [1, 2]

"European Heads of State agreed a year ago that 'determined action' is needed to close the gap in meeting Europe's energy savings target," said Erica Hope, Senior Policy Officer at Climate Action Network (CAN) Europe. "Yet so far, many governments have been seeking to gut the draft EED of both targets and measures," Hope continued. "Member States cannot keep on calling for the benefits of energy savings unless they change their attitude toward the instruments which could deliver them."

To deliver Europe's 20% energy savings objective – which we are on course to miss by more than half - we need binding national targets, obligations for energy companies to deliver efficiency measures and ways to streamline financing. We also need concrete requirements to deliver deep renovation in buildings.

"There is a huge potential to reduce energy consumption in the buildings sector alone, allowing citizens and businesses to regain control over their energy bills," said Agathe Ernoult, EEB's Energy Policy Officer. "Energy savings in buildings are a typical case of sound financial investment that can generate guaranteed savings and thereby increase the value and comfort of our homes and workplaces, while creating large numbers of local jobs and stimulating economic activity when Europe needs it the most," Ernoult continued.

Together, such measures would result in energy savings that would provide investor certainty, create 2 million new jobs, save €200 billion per year and reduce our vulnerability to volatile foreign energy supplies.

This Valentine's Day, we call on governments to show their love for their citizens by pushing for more energy savings in Europe.

Editors' Notes:

[1] An NGO briefing on the Energy Efficiency Directive can be found here.

[2] With a record number of proposed amendments, in addition to a weak text put forward by the Polish Presidency, this year started with a dangerously weakened Directive. While the Danish Presidency is trying to increase ambition, the new text does not go far enough, as it fails to eliminate the loopholes surrounding energy supplier obligations and does not include binding targets.