Brussels, 28/02/2012 (Agence Europe) - The European Parliament (EP) energy committee, agreeing its position on the energy efficiency directive, which is to help the EU reduce its energy consumption by 20% by 2020 - an objective which it is far from reaching - supported the level of ambition of environmentalist rapporteur Claude Turmes (Luxembourg) and called on member states to make the climate objective legally binding.
After five months of negotiations, the EP energy committee finally supported Turmes by adopting his report on the draft energy efficiency directive by 51 votes to six, with three abstentions on Tuesday 28 February. The committee position is a compromise that allows the Conservatives of the EPP, Socialists and Liberals to agree to the proposal put forward by the Greens. MEPs finally reached agreement on 17 of the 18 compromise packages reducing more than 1,800 amendments put down. A mandate was given by 31 votes to 22, with five abstentions for Turmes to negotiate with the Council, where the member states would prefer compulsory measures with considerable flexibility built in. The plenary session vote will take place after these negotiations. The Danish Presidency of the EU Council of Ministers, which made energy savings one of its priorities for EU energy policy, would like to have an agreement sealed during its term of office.
“The outcome of the voting today has made me a very happy man”, Turmes, weeping with joy, told the press. “Five years after committing to a voluntary target of reducing energy consumption 20% by 2020, EU member states are way off track. To address this, MEPs have today voted to make the 20% target binding, with national sub-targets and trajectories for the member states. Everything will be monitored by the European Commission. A healthy dose of flexibility has been added for energy-intensive industries”, he said, before speaking about the huge potential, in terms of growth and jobs, of such a decision. “This is the only sure-fire way to ensure the 20% target is met and the win-win benefits of doing so are realised”, Turmes went on. “It is totally illusory to think that the price of oil will be frozen at $70 a barrel. The only way for the EU to protect its citizens from energy poverty is to control the amount of energy consumed. If we can't control prices, we have to concentrate on demand”, he said, seeing energy efficiency as “the only way to repatriate some of the $400 billion paid out annually to third country oil and gas suppliers”. This saving “is enough to pay for the annual salary of more than 10 million European workers”, said Swedish Socialist Marita Ulvskog in a press release.
The energy committee therefore calls for binding national objectives - not included in the Commission's initial proposal - to be set in place, based on reference values specific to each EU country. Achieving these objectives will contribute to an overall energy saving target of 20% for the whole of the EU. In June 2013, the Commission should verify whether member states are on the right track for attaining the objectives and, in June 2014, the European executive should present a proposal for energy saving targets by 2030.
When it comes to energy efficiency in buildings, the text amended by Parliament calls for member states to begin renovating 2.5% of the total surface area of their public buildings when the total utilised surface area is over 250 square metres. This should be done by January 2014.
The amended text also makes it an obligation for energy companies to make 1.5% energy savings each year in all end-user sectors.
The text calls on the Commission to present a report, at the very latest by the date when the directive takes effect, regarding the impact that is being made by incentives to invest in low carbon technologies and on the risk of carbon leaks. MEPs also call on the Commission to consider, before launching the third phase of the emissions quota trading system, whether measures should or should not be taken to include a freeze on the necessary number of quotas. (EH/transl.rt/jl)