Energy efficiency and saving

The European Parliament industry and energy committee today adopted a report outlining the EP position on the forthcoming EU energy efficiency action plan. Green MEPs welcomed the outcome, which included a call for the EU's 2020 energy savings target to be made binding. Following the vote, French Green MEP Yannick Jadot said:

"Making the EU target to reduce energy consumption 20% by 2020 binding will be crucial if it is not to be missed. Meeting the energy savings target is not only central to achieving the EU's energy and climate goals, it will also lead to major savings for EU households and the creation of up to a million European jobs. We welcome that MEPs have seen the light and endorsed this long-standing Green demand to make the EU energy savings target binding.

"Future EU energy policy must be built around the priority of energy efficiency and savings, and this must take centre-stage at the EU energy summit on 4 February 2011. Meaningful measures to improve energy efficiency would do far more for addressing European energy security than building gas pipelines. EU heads of state should focus on this, rather than on producing more or constructing more gas pipelines. For this reason, MEPs called on the Commission to publish its energy efficiency action plan as soon as possible.

"The report adopted today is far from perfect however. As a result of the conservatism of some groups, it unfortunately fails to set out concrete measures on a sector-by-sector basis, and is vague on the issue of building renovation, despite its key role in addressing energy poverty and creating jobs. The same is true for the transport sector.

"We keenly await the Commission's action plan, which should set out new innovative measures on energy efficiency, notably on addressing the continuing energy wastage of EU's buildings stock. The Greens will continue to press for a specific plan in this area, with a view to achieving an overall goal of renovating all buildings by 2050."