Brussels, 23/06/2011 (Agence Europe) - The draft energy efficiency directive put on the table by the European Commission on Wednesday 22 June has left the European Parliament and pressure groups, NGOs and industrial associations perplexed. Many of them described the text as not enough to improve energy efficiency by 20% before 2020 and argued in favour of a binding energy savings objective.
The European Parliament, the MEPs of the Greens Group are, unsurprisingly, the most critical of the European executive, whose draft directive “will not allow the EU to meet its objective of 20% energy savings by 2020”. “It is, of course, important that the directive is on the table. After two or three years of waiting, we are finally going to be able to reinforce the legislation. But the overall objective for reducing energy consumption by the member states is still not binding, whereas this is the main tool to push the states to act”, lamented Claude Turmes. The Socialists & Democrats Group also stressed the need for a binding objective. “The specific proposals on how to achieve the 20% target of energy savings are a positive step, but we would like to see binding goals before 2014. Efficiency is not only necessary to fight climate change but it is also key to economic recovery and to energy security in Europe”, stressed Sweden's Marita Ulvskog. The mood was more confident over at the EPP. “Finally we have got a package of incentives and obligations on the table that will help meet the 20% target", said Peter Liese of Germany and Austria's Richard Seeber.
Criticism also flowed in from environmental NGOs. In the opinion of Friends of the Earth, the new draft directive is “too timid” even to deliver on the EU's own “modest ambitions” for energy savings. “The directive is destined to fail because it only proposes voluntary targets for member states, with a progress review in 2014 - despite an EU Impact Assessment which concludes that only binding targets will deliver on the 20% target”, said the ecologist association. “Unfortunately the Commission suggested no binding targets but only very few additional measures to the existing framework, which will make it unlikely for Member States to reach a beneficial level of energy savings”, lamented the WWF.
In the view of the 22 members - NGOs and industrial associations - of the Coalition for Energy Savings, the directive is a “missed opportunity”. The text “represents a serious setback to the EU's stated commitments to achieve energy savings (…). It must be substantially strengthened if Europe is to realise the huge potential of energy efficiency for the climate, the economy and society”, stresses the coalition, which also criticises the lack of clarity on the review process in 2014, “since it may mean that the decision on binding targets could be deferred until the next European Commission”.
On behalf of European consumers, the BEUC went no further than to stress the important role of smart meters, the costs for the installation of which should be shared fairly with the industry.
The European Insulation Manufacturers Association (Eurima) feels that the Commission has simply listed individual measures and is lacking in a long-term vision on the strategic role of energy efficiency.
The Association of European Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Eurochambres, supports flexible incentives, targeted information and consumer awareness. “The approach of binding measures would create unnecessary burdens compared to a voluntary approach based on advisory services to better inform and encourage energy consumers to increase energy efficiency”, the association stressed.
In a joint press release, the European Association for the Promotion of Cogeneration (Cogen), the Confederation of the Food and Drinks Industries in the EU (CIAA), the Confederation of European Paper Industries (CEPI) and the European Ceramic Industry Association (Cerame-Unie) welcomed the “strong encouragement” for cogeneration in the European Commission's legislative proposal. Measures in favour of producing heat and electricity at the same time “signal a clear intention by the Commission to remove barriers and create a supportive environment for existing and new cogeneration operators”, the coalition stresses. (E.H./transl.fl)